The Love Pundit
by gleeloved
Summary: Every person, every single person is on his/her lookout for someone special. It was his job to make that happen. But sometimes, you'd realize that in the midst of helping others find love, it'll sneak up your back and find you too. A/U Finchel fic.
1. Ch 1 The Initial Launch

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>The air was crisp with a slight wind that breezed past his ears. Just a perfect weather for a walk in the park which was why he chose to meet here. It was an ordinary day for him. This was his favorite part of his job though, meeting new clients.<p>

He watched him by the fountain, observing the way he handled himself in public. He had already done his research, but people tend to lie in their online profile.

It was a good thing he hadn't photo-shopped his face like how some of his previous clients have. You wouldn't believe the number of zits a guy can erase from a computer screen. Secretly, he was appalled by how vain some guys could get. You can't photo-shop away your pimples when you're face to face with someone, what's the point in airbrushing them for the sake of a confidentiality photograph?

Re-reading the profile he had brought along with him, he started to compare the notes with reality.

Don't get him wrong; he wasn't on a blind date. He wasn't a private investigator too. But watching people is one of his job criteria. Or at least, a precaution he tended to take, just in case.

His job wasn't exactly one that you could define by a word or find in a dictionary. Therapist? Consultant? Some people referred to him as the love doctor. But he never really got used to it. The career that he had built up on his own was one of his proudest possessions though.

Every person, every single person is on his/her lookout for someone special. Whether it was between best friends, two sworn enemies who may have secretly been crushing on each other, or simply one that is chasing after a girl who's out of his reach. They all share one thing in common; they believe that they can make the girl happy.

That's where he comes in. Because his theory is that he believes that anyone, anyone is capable of getting the girl of his dreams. And it'll be easy along with his help. Just so long as they wouldn't SCREW. THINGS. UP.

After 10 minutes, he felt that he had enough information to take the first step. He came out of his hiding place.

"Artie Abrams? My name is Finn Hudson."

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><p>My new story "The Love Pundit" loosely based on the 2005 film "Hitch" starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes! After writing up NY's Sweethearts, I was so sure that I wanted to take a couple of days off from writing. But I just got so excited to get this started! Because of the constant encouragement from all my previous readers, this is up and running for you! Hope that you'll enjoy!<p> 


	2. Ch 2 The Helpless Asian

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>"Good Morning Rachel." The man greeted her as she pushed past the two glass doors and into her office.<p>

She smiled brightly in reciprocation. "Isn't it a beautiful day? The birds chirping, the sun's bright and out and the smell of leaves on the trees."

"Excuse me?"

The girl grinned and offered her arm. At its end was a hand clutching unto a Starbucks cup, a sight that was seen by others daily.

"Smell me."

"Oh, not in a million years!" He spat out, repulsed by the idea of smelling her.

"Jeez Sam." Then, she brought her arm towards her nose and took a whiff of her own jacket. Smiling against her limb, she closed her eyes to savor her bits of the morning before Sam Evans could start talking again.

It was a mixture of the streets of NYC, a tinge of coffee powder and a hint of her own perfume. To her, it was heavenly. It consisted of her favorite city in the world, her necessity and her own home.

"Who are you and what have you done to my colleague?"

She inhaled her surroundings and smiled by the people busying themselves around her. The pair started to walk towards her table after the brunette collected her mail from its pigeonhole.

"You were right, the rest I took was exactly what I needed. I sent every call straight to voicemail and I didn't bother checking my email. Did a little yoga, visited the spa, took a walk down at the park and even had time to do a little shopping! You should try it some time."

"Yeah and you did all of that in what? 5 hours?"

"And it was just the right amount of time I needed. Now that I'm all recharged, I'm ready to go."

"You need a social life."

"Hey! I do have a social life alright." She argued as she set down her things at her cubicle.

"Rach! Didn't Will give you a break?" Quinn Fabray swiveled her chair so that she could look at her desk neighbor, interrupting the conversation the two people were having.

"Hey Q, would you mind helping me out with these negatives? Think you could get them on my desk by 11?"

"No problem. I'll get straight to it." Turning her back, the blonde woman went straight to work.

Turning around to look at the man she was talking to, Rachel picked up her phone from the table before walking again. Following her, Sam retaliated the argument.

"You think your social life is your job. That's not what I meant. I'm talking about a relationship. You know, one that involves feelings with an actual human being?"

"Seriously Sam, haven't I taught you anything? Boyfriends require time and effort and energy. And by the end of it all, what do you get? Heartbreaks! Unlike my job. Because you see, my job wouldn't disappoint me. Now that's a keeper." She winked before climbing up the stairs to her boss's office.

Then she continued.

"In my opinion, dating's a lot more entertaining that being in a relationship. I mean, there's no pressure in deciding whose house you should be spending the night at. You get to have fun with new people instead of being tied down by something or someone. Frankly, relationships are for people that are just waiting for something better to come along."

Then, Sam received a call and sighed. Knocking on William Schuester's glass door, notifying him that Rachel had arrived.

The man raised his eyebrows at her appearance while Sam threw his hands up in mid air. Then, he excused himself and she let her in when the boss summoned so.

The room wasn't spacious, but for a man who worked this hard, she was impressed by her boss's high expectation for tidiness. His desk was piled up with neat stacks of paper, along with the basic stationery needs.

Behind him were four huge cabinets of the typical office grey document drawers. Each of them was labeled neatly with the years of every article he had produced since he started working in the publishing company.

'Rachel," He set down the pen in his hand and sighed. "What are you doing here?" Letting his elbow rest of the top of the furniture, he started to rub his temples slowly in a circular motion.

"Hey, I listened alright. I did everything you asked me to and now I'm back!"

"I didn't schedule you for any projects this week Rach. Go home, you're not needed."

She dropped into the chair that was facing him and slumped in her seat. Her elbows were at the handles and she crossed her fingers together, bringing them close to her lips.

"Even when I have to let you know that Brittany S. Pierce is single again?"

He froze in his seat and looked at her.

She smirked at his reaction.

"Hey, I couldn't help it if her publicist was in the same mud room as I was."

"You know kiddo, there's more to life than watching other people live it."

"Well, I know that. Just that while I'm waiting for something to happen in my life, I can't help it that my job requires watching other people too."

"And whose fault is that for making your life uneventful?"

She bowed her head down and played with her fingers.

"Rachel, you're one of the most dedicated employees we have on this company. No doubt, you are good at what you do. But when are you going to see that not every thing is your career?"

"You just let me take care of my own problems alright Will?"

Sensing her discomfort, he decided to release her. And just before she walked out the room, she hung by the door and leaned against it.

"So I get to come back to work then?" She asked with a glimmer of hope.

"Fine." He replied exasperatedly before looking down on his papers again.

Punching her fist in the air, she yelled, "YES!" attracting the attention of the rest of the staff.

Covering up her embarrassment, she flipped her hair to the back of her neck and strutted down towards her desk.

She caught sight of Sam watching her, and threw a victorious grin at the man.

He shook his head with a tiny smile. Rachel Berry, what would the company do without that fierce little devil?

As the tiny brunette returned to her seat, her phone rang with a specific tone. She knew it only meant one thing.

"Tina." She whispered under her breath.

Letting out a huge breath, she swiped the unlock button and braced herself for what's to come.

There were soft sniffles in the receiver's end, along with the occasional choking noises.

"Heyyyyyy." The brunette drawled.

"H...H...Hi..." The girl at the other end of the phone blew out her nose, making Rachel Berry cringe and took her ear away from the mobile as far as she could.

"You sick honey?" She continued after a few seconds.

"No." Another blow from her, but this time Rachel didn't budge.

"Tired?"

"Noooo."

A hiccup erupted and Rachel knew where this was leading.

"Sick and tired?"

Wailing out words that Rachel couldn't comprehend, Tina Cohen-Chang started stuttering her sentences.

"H-He...He said... N-No more... He said he... d-didn't love me anymore!"

Rachel sighed. "Oh Tina..."

"Why? It must have been the way I look!"

"Tina, you're gorgeous!"

"He doesn't... He probably doesn't think... so."

"Hey! Then he doesn't matter. Tell me, has anyone told you that you're pretty recently?"

Her sobs started to die down and Rachel relaxed that her sentences were starting to make sense again.

Tina sniffed in response.

"Well, there was this one guys. H-he was at that duck restaurant when I had d-d-dinner with my parents last Wednesday."

"Yeah?"

"H-he s-said h-he liked the way I smelled."

"Uh huh."

"But I was buy-buying take out for Puck at t-that t-time! I...I couldn't flirt!"

"Oh Tina. Do you wish you could rewind again and not..."

"And change things!"

"I wanted to say not meet the jerk, but whatever works for you." She muttered under her breath.

Then she exhaled loudly and raised her voice.

"Okay Tina, I'm calling an intervention. You need to snap out of this warped perception that you're not good enough."

"W-What a-are you going t-to d-do about it?"

She caught sight of the blonde woman near her. She spun her chair around and rolled towards the neighbor, busily working on the pictures she had ordered.

She covered the receiver's end and mouthed the words, Tina. Quinn stared at the phone in her hand and sighed.

Fist bumping her photographer, she said confidently. "Tonight, we're going to take you out."

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><p>Chapter 2 is here!<p>

Finchel-frankenberry-gleek, Sliguu, noro, CarCarBeepBroom, Maybelle22, bananappancakes, laylita83, sammstump and JulGleek Hello my love! I swear, you guys just blow my mind about how supportive you are for this! Seems like some of you are excited for Finn in this story, and well, I am too! Hope you'll have fun in this one! :')


	3. Ch 3 The Rachel Berry

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>She dabbed the tears away and looked helplessly at Quinn Fabray who had the same powerless expression.<p>

After their day at the office, Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry had rushed to the side of Tina Cohen-Chang who was still weeping over the lost of her boyfriend. Of 1 week.

Finally, Rachel tossed the Kleenex into the bin and stood up.

Clapping her hands together, she stood up and announced, "That's it. You march into the bathroom right now and get your act together!"

Tina looked up forlornly. "W-Why a-are you y-y-yelling at me?"

Quinn who had her arm over the crying girl's shoulder continued patting her. She glared at the brunette and brought a finger to her lips.

Surrendering to the stern fire in her eyes, Rachel sat down quietly.

"Tinnie?" Quinn called out softly to the crying girl.

Looking up to the nickname she wasn't usually known for, Tina's chokes started to lessen. But before she could speak, the Asian girl blew her nose into the tissue offered by the blonde as loud as she could.

Rachel winced at the sound and got up to settle herself beside their center of attention.

Quinn's pats started to evolve into a gentle smoothing motion, which deemed effective when Tina finally calmed down.

"That's my girl." Quinn whispered into her ear.

Rachel rubbed her left palm on the knee of Tina Cohen-Chang. "You feeling better Tin?"

Nodding without any response, Rachel continued softly.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Tina stared at the tiny girl for a minute. When the seconds entered into a near level of awkwardness, she threw her arms around the brunette and dug her face into her shoulders.

Rachel sighed quietly and attempted to ease her pain away.

"There, there."

Finally after a few more seconds, Tina unraveled herself and wiped the last drops away.

Cupping her face, Rachel blew away the remaining specks of sadness and whispered with confidence.

"Come on. Let's show the world how hot Tina Cohen-Chang is when she's single."

Finally as a small grin started to manifest from the girl, Quinn sunk back in her seat with relief that Tina was on her way back to normality.

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><p>"Aw man!" Rory Flanagan said with annoyance.<p>

Finn Hudson chuckled as he plucked the darts out of the board.

"That's not so bad. Well, at least you didn't hit the wall this time."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. If you're so good, why don't you give it a shot?"

"Is that a challenge my friend?" Finn asked with a smirk.

"Let's see you do better."

"Dude, I invented the game."

Walking to where his Irish friend had been standing, Finn gave him an aloof grin before closing his eyes.

Exhaling, he blinked back his vision, and the first thing he saw was the dartboard 10 feet away from him. Holding a wink, he threw the tiny arrow gently. Flying with a perfect arc, it landed on the outer bullring.

Turning to look at his companion, he threw a triumphant look. "So do I smell defeat?"

Folding his arms with resentment, Rory sighed, producing a winning chuckle from the taller man.

"Come on, I think I have enough of this game."

Finn stuck the remaining darts back to its rightful board and hurried after the man. Patting his shoulder, he said,

"You got to let loose man. You're not going to be able to hit the bull's eye if you're this tense."

"Is that what you teach the rest of your clients?" He gave a sideway glance before calling for the bar tender.

The two men settled on the bar stools and Rory called out for their drink orders. Snapping open the cap, their server laid down two bottles of beer before them.

Thanking the bartender with a polite nod, Finn sipped into his drink. And as the cool liquid flowed down his throat, he felt his energy level surged along the refreshment.

"It applies to everything."

"No Finn, it doesn't." Rory rubbed the label on the bottle and it began to tear slowly with the help from its condensation.

"You need to stop linking everything to your job Finn."

The giant man sighed.

"You see Rory, in America, dudes look at things a little differently. Not everybody's that nice in the US, unless you start living in Canada or something. But my point is that my work teaches me to become who I am today. And there's nothing wrong with that."

"You watch people and teach them how to pounce on girls."

He set down his bottle and held up his hand.

"That's where you're wrong. I'm merely giving them an opportunity to see that girls will accept them."

"Cynic."

"I'm not a cynic, I'm just being practical. That's why I managed to aim for the bull's eye. Or at least I managed to score more accurately than you did. I mean, come on man, you watch what other people do wrong, remind yourself not to make the same mistakes, note down the helpful pointers and aim for the goal. But no matter what, you're on your own."

Rory narrowed his eyes and Finn chuckled lightly.

"I told you that it applies to everything."

"You need help Finn." Rory finally gave a small grin as he sipped into his drink. "Or maybe you need a girl."

Finn nudged him on his elbow and the Irish man laughed.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you very much." The taller man replied.

"I don't think so. You say that I gotta let loose and not tense up at the game. But you're not exactly doing what you're advising me. I mean, you gotta open yourself up to a world where it's okay to be in a stable relationship."

Finn sensed where this conversation was going and felt his muscles tighten.

"Being in love is awesome Finn. Nothing feels better than being in love. When you get to a place with one woman, it's so awesome that nothing else matters anymore. Don't you get a little tired Finn?" He took a gulp of his drink again and continued.

"You work all the time to improve strangers' love lives. But when are you going to start working on your own?"

Just as Finn Hudson was about to give an answer, he saw Rory's eyes trailing away and raised his eyebrows. He followed the direction his best friend was looking at and a half smile appeared.

Towards his left, the dance floor was up and electrified by a new group of female dancers taking the stage by a storm.

"Yeah I see what you're trying to say. When you get to a place with women, nothing else matters anymore huh."

" Girls smell better than ham. And when they're dancing and bouncing around, you can't help but watch them."

Finn shook his head gently and returned to his drink. He let his elbow rest on the counter and allowed his mind to wander.

Just then, a young brunette arrived at his right corner of the table and raised her hand for the bartender's attention.

After placing her orders, she leaned her back and drummed her fingers on the counter. Even from her side view, Finn could tell she was gorgeous.

"Hello." A man almost the same height as Rory came up to her and for a moment Finn thought that she might be here with a date. His back was facing him, so he couldn't figure out his face.

This, however, turned to his advantage when the small girl had to rotate to look at the man.

He was wrong about what he said. She wasn't gorgeous. Despite her oversized nose, which may have looked pointy on anyone else's, it worked for her. The features on her face tidied up neatly, producing a stunning image. He started to straighten his back.

"You got to help me with something. You see, I sort of lost my number. Do you think I could have yours?"

Finn had to hide his mouth in his elbow joint to keep himself from laughing out loud at the man's cheesy and desperate attempt for her attention.

She smiled sweetly at him and said,

"I'm sorry. But not your team."

Finn's eyes widened at her comeback. Not only was she beautiful, but she was smart too.

The man she was talking to, however, didn't flinch.

In that moment, a blonde woman had tapped on the brunette's shoulder. Whipping her head around, the tiny girl draped her arm across the shoulder of her friend and laid a peck on her cheek.

"Hey baby."

This time, Finn couldn't contain himself. A snort escaped his nose but to his relief, the three people he had been watching didn't seem to notice.

"Rachel..." The blonde trailed suspiciously.

"I'm sorry honey. The bartender's taking longer than I expected." In the midst of talking, she was eyeing the friend with signals that were clear.

However, as dumb as his pickup line was, the man seemed taken aback by the woman's 'truth'. In a matter of seconds, he stumbled backwards and apologized for intruding.

Soon after, the bartender presented a tray with three glasses on it. Collecting their drinks, the two women walked away from the counter, too deeply involved in a conversation to realize that Finn Hudson had witnessed the whole thing.

Just as Rory's attention had been diverted back to Finn, the giant man found himself whispering her name on his lips.

"Rachel."

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><p>Chapter 3 is here! I didn't mention it in the previous chapter, but as much as I wanted to have Kurt &amp; Mercedes be a part of this story, I thought that it'd be interesting to have different characters of glee be in my stories. Thus, the introduction of Tina and Rory! :') Hope no one's too disappointed! Glee reference to S03E04 and S03E08! And the pickup line was in fact said by Cory Monteith in a Bonnie Dune interview. He mentioned that he'd been wanting to try that on someone so thought I'd just insert it here! Have a lovely day! (FREAK OUT because It's so near to Christmas!)<p>

Bananappancakes, laylita83 and noro. Yay! So glad to see youenjoying yourself! And Laylita83, I'd reveal Rachel's job in the next chapter, but yes, it is in some sort of publishing company :)

Finchel21, honey, I was nearly sobbing at your review. RANT ALL YOU WANT, I might love you more for doing just that. Do steal my idea, I think it's perfect that you're mixing your favorite number with your favorite OTP though. Thank you for the encouragement love! Sure hope that you'll enjoy this! :)

CarCarBeepBroom, darling I was reading my email when I was with a friend; the email notification that was your review. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from grinning like an idiot because well, you are just so precious! Merry Christmas love, glad to see yourself having a good time this Christmas.


	4. Ch 4 The Finn Hudson

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>"Care to explain what was that about?" Quinn inquired cautiously.<p>

"Come on, he didn't even budge when I told him. I had to take drastic measures." Rachel retorted as they made their way back to the table Tina had snagged.

"Yeah, well, A little heads up would be good. And you didn't have to take it on my face. What if Sam saw?"

"Come on, your boyfriend isn't going to be around tonight. But in case he does drop by, tell him I send him my apologies."

Quinn shook her head with resentment and sat down.

"I don't even know what am I doing here." Tina remarked bitterly as Rachel handed her a cocktail.

"You are here because you need to see that it's okay to start falling in love again." Rachel replied.

"I thought you didn't believe in that sort of thing."

Rachel replied pointedly. "I don't believe in relationships. There's a difference. You know that period of time when you're interested in some guy, and there's a little bit of flirting going on, that's the best part of dating. You got to stop thinking about the idea of a relationship and let loose a little."

Rachel stopped to take a breather and sipped into her drink.

"Now this is what I'm talking about. Forget what I've said before Tin, I don't need a man. I've got martini."

Quinn rolled her eyes, leading Tina to sigh.

"Have you ever heard of the date doctor Q?"

"It's just a myth." Rachel interrupted Quinn before she could talk.

"Yeah? Well I was hoping that he was real; or at least, maybe a female version of him."

"Honey, even if it were true and let's say for a moment that this, date doctor," She air quoted the last two words before continuing. "Does exist, it's all just relationship propaganda. When are you going to realize that you don't need anyone's help in getting a man?"

This time, instead of disagreeing with Rachel, Quinn backed her up.

"She's true Tina. You don't need anyone's help in getting a man. You've already got the whole package. In my opinion, just wait. Stop looking for Mr. Right, let him come and find you, naturally."

"You can say stuff like that because you," Tina pointed to the blonde, "already found the man of your dreams in your office. While you!" She pointed to the other girl on her right, "Simply don't mind ending up alone."

Rachel scoffed and hit her lightly on the shoulder. "Are you trying to say that I'm going to end up an old maid with nine cats?"

Tina grinned as she sipped into her drink. "I didn't, you did."

Quinn roared with laughter and Rachel pouted for a second. When she saw the brunette glare at her, she softens her laughs, but continued giggling behind her mouth, which hid her joy.

In a split second, Quinn's man appeared before their eyes. She stood up to greet him with a peck on his cheek, and Sam Evans slid his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"Ladies, if you don't mind. I think its time to whisk off my lady here." He stared adoringly into her eyes, causing the blonde to blush.

Tina nodded approvingly while Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Breaking any hearts around here yet Rach?" He asked, finally pulling away his gaze from his girl.

She grunted at his question and said, "What's the point? I'll end up with nine cats anyway."

This produced another fit of laughter from Quinn and for the first time that day, Tina laughed out freely.

As Quinn dragged her man to the dance floor, Tina followed the couple slowly behind; finally making a decision to dip her toes in the waters of the night.

Folding her arms stubbornly, Rachel Berry sunk back into her seat. Crossing her legs, she allowed her eyes to roam the room.

The bar they were in was loud and noisy. In her opinion, this was a place that she wouldn't enjoy herself in. But her job required it, so the nightlife slowly eased into her comfort zone. She looked across the room, the bar counter catching her attention as it was located in front of her.

Over the past few visits, it was packed with patrons, squeezing past to attract attention from the servers. Tonight though, there was only a sprinkle of people, allowing her to catch a glimpse of each and every one of them.

Scanning through the circumference, she found her eyes coming to a halt at two men. They seemed to be enjoying themselves in the conversation they were having.

Rachel lunged forward so that her elbow could be on her knee. With her palm supporting her chin, she got a closer look and observed harder.

They had similar features, both with brown hair flipping in an upward direction at the edge of their foreheads. The soft pink color in their cheeks was a compliment to their pale skin tone, which fitted nicely with the rest of their features.

Among the two, she took a particular interest in one of them. It could have been the way he smiled, revealing the deepest set of dimples she had ever seen. Or it could have been the way he carried himself.

You can't tell a person just by the first second of looking at them. But Rachel Berry was trained in watching people intently, followed thereafter with a couple of inferences.

Within ten minutes, she concluded her observations.

A couple of skimpily dressed women had walked past him, gently tracing their fingers across his shoulder, but he wouldn't look. Instead he would continue the conversation with his companion, as though nothing had happened.

Even as a new group joined the edge of the table, he didn't turn.

She was impressed.

The man seemed comfortable in his own bubble that consisted of him and his friend, for which, was ironic when the bar was starting to fill up.

Realizing a small smile had appeared on her face, Rachel took a sip of her drink to cover up her amusement of the night.

Almost immediately, the man she had been watching seemed to have escaped from his personal space. He caught sight her gaze.

Spurting out her drink, she set the glass down instantly and dabbed her mouth profusely.

The man across the room chuckled at her clumsiness. He raised his bottle ever so slightly, giving her a polite nod and a gentle grin.

She mimicked his gesture, hoping that it would cover up her previous humiliation. His grin grew wider and she looked away.

By the time she had the courage to look the same way, he was gone.

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><p>"Okay so let me get this straight. You're referring to Brittany Pierce? Brittany S. Pierce?" Finn Hudson questioned his client, still unconvinced after 5 minutes that Artie Abrams was referring to the same person he had been mentioning.<p>

Artie sighed and sunk lower in his wheelchair.

"I know, I know. She's this really hot dancer while I'm you know," He smacked his left knee and stared down. "Like this."

Finn rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment.

In his routine, what he usually did was to meet his client once before getting down to business.

In the first meeting, they wouldn't have any talks about who the girl was and the plans they had. Instead, it was a conversation between two friends, getting to know each other.

This was his second meeting with Artie Abrams, and finding out who his girl was made Finn rethink his theory of getting to know him better.

"I'm interning for her music video director. So I see her pretty often."

"So she knows you're interested?"

Artie shook his head.

"Had a decent conversation outside of work?"

Artie hung his head lower and shook it slightly.

"Does she know of your existence?"

"Define know." Artie inquired hopefully.

Finn hovered his mouth to smother his shock. In the midst of figuring out his new client's needs, Artie spoke again.

"You don't think I tried talking myself out of this? You don't think I know how ridiculous this is? I know okay. But the last guy she was with, he was an ass."

Artie gulped down and looked at Finn with a tad more confidence than a second ago. Then, he continued.

"And while I know I'm never going to measure up what he has given to her, I'll always put in my utmost best to make sure that she stays happy."

"Dude, I'm sympathetic for you. It's just that, it's not the easiest thing to do you know." Finn replied warily.

Unlocking the brake on his wheelchair, Artie started to turn away.

"I realized that in no circumstances, she would ever look my way. It's just that I've heard of all these stories about you. If anyone can make the impossible happen, it was you."

Then, the giant placed his hand on Artie's shoulder to prevent him from moving forward.

"Tell me what do you like about her?"

"She's not some dumb blonde journalists describe her to be. She's magic. The way she moves. I should have told her when I got the chance to, and I constantly see her getting insults all the time from choreographers, managers and even her backup dancers. It's not fair."

Finn started to smile a little when he saw the look in Artie Abrams' eyes. That's how he would find out if his client were serious.

He is aware of the many jerks out there in the city. But the one thing he treasured the most about his clients was that up to date; there weren't any breakups. His methods may have been foolproof. But it all boils down to the way the man feels about his woman.

So for every new client, he'd pick out the small details that would prove so. And, it would eventually lead up to this.

"Well then, let's go make that magic happen."

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 is here! Finchel's going to have their first conversation in the next chapter, so hold on to your seats! Glee reference to S02E01 and S02E09 :) Regretfully though, I'm going to take a short hiatus from this story :'( Do enjoy your Christmas break, and I'll most definitely be back before the year ends! Happy holidays to you who's reading this!<p>

Noro, bananappancakes, PerfectFinchel and Melly233 Hello! Happy holidays from me to you! Super glad that all of you are enjoying this! And it simply warms my Finchel heart to see so many of you back with my new story! I love you! Hoping that your holidays would be filled with joy! Tis' the season! :')

PaochiCute, honey, I'm practically sobbing from all your reviews. You take my breath away with each and every one of them. I wish so very badly to have that chance to meet and give you the tightest embrace I can deliver because well, you are too magical for words! I love you so very, very, very much. You probably don't know how much, but whatever you think it is, double it! This chapter is dedicated to you for being such a wonderful person.

And finally, a big welcome to theluckyclover! Hai my dear, in my stories, I'd usually give shoutouts at the end of each chapter, so WELCOME! I hope you'll enjoy what I have in store for you and have a ball of a time! :') Merry Christmas to you if you're reading this before the 25th!


	5. Ch 5 The Unusual Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>Rachel Berry threw her arms back to support her tensed neck. Massaging the sore spots, she let out a breath of satisfaction as she leaned forward to stare down at the pictures again.<p>

Brittany S Pierce, the famous dancer had just broken up with her four month long boyfriend, was finally single again. There had been a period of mourning since it happened and the recent pictures of her state were just pure gold.

The reporter of EG (Entertainment Gossip) magazine was proud of herself. She always had a knack in sniffing for new scoops about celebrities, and was almost always spot on about her predictions. Her company took pride in a gem like her and she adored her job.

Her phone rang and she took her eyes away from her prize.

"Hey Tina." The two words slipped breathlessly and it was only at that point when she realized how truly exhausted she must have been from the past three hours of working endlessly.

"Hey Rach, are you alright? You sound drained."

"It's that obvious huh?" She asked rhetorically with a small laugh. "I'll live."

"Well, good to know. Because I am finally ready to meet some guys!"

Rachel smiled at Tina's newfound confidence. "That's good to hear."

"So what do you say? You and me, back to where it all began?"

The brunette started to get a little suspicious. Then, it dawned upon her.

"Who is it that you're meeting?"

"No one!" Tina Cohen-Chang retorted with a pathetic attempt to come off as though she had no hidden agenda.

"Spit it out."

Sighing, she knew she didn't have a choice.

"He was this guy that I met earlier. He said that I should drop by tonight after we realized that we go to the same bar."

"Tina," She started out wearily. "You shouldn't be making yourself too available. It just shows how weak you are. Do we even go to that place often?"

Hearing the place Tina stated, Rachel was appalled.

"We've only been there once!"

"And it's time to go back again! Come on Raspberry!" Tina pleaded; using the embarrassing childhood nickname Rachel Berry wasn't too proud of.

She looked at the work she had just produced and realized it wouldn't be so bad to take refuge in some place unfamiliar.

"Fine. I'll see you at nine." She replied with a tinge of unwillingness before hanging up the phone.

* * *

><p>Finn Hudson walked into the bar and headed for the counter. He was alone for the night, seeing that Rory cancelled on him at the very last minute.<p>

He did contemplate staying in but rejected the idea when old Mrs. Smith had her book club members over.

They were a funny bunch of old women. Book Club might have meant a weekly gossip meeting because needless to say, Finn wasn't too pleased with their visits. It was topped with cackling at the top of their lungs, making him feel the need to escape every time they were around.

Drumming his fingers on the table, he scanned through the place. The place was only starting to fill in, but that's what he liked about arriving before the crowd.

His vision glided through the scattered beings of the dimly lit room until he caught sight of her.

She was clad in a jade green blouse and a black pencil skirt that hugged her waist nicely. She had her left arm across the couch she was resting on, and the right palm was supporting the iPhone she couldn't take her eyes off.

Her left leg was tucked at the ankle of her right and she didn't seem fazed by the passing gentlemen. All of who took a second glance as they walked past.

Her long flowing locks of brown were now pulled back into a tight ponytail. Contrary to how she looked a few nights ago, the girl looked professional. She had tired eyes, from which Finn inferred that she might have had a long day at work and rushed down, after observing what she wore.

Every so often, she checked the watch on her left wrist, which he knew was an indirect way of saying that she was waiting for a latecomer.

His lips turned up into a half smile, realizing that she was alone. Picking up his drink, he started to make his way over.

Perhaps it had been the cockiness in him, which brought about the worst timing he could plan for, but just as he was a couple of steps away, another stranger had swooped in, taking a seat opposite the tiny brunette.

Ducking behind a pillar, Finn sat down at an empty table with intentions to eavesdrop on the conversation, hoping that he probably wasn't the one she was waiting for.

"So how about you and me?" The man inquired mysteriously.

Finn shook his head with compassion, knowing that he would most probably be shot down in a heartbeat.

Rachel looked up at the voice and smiled graciously.

"Hi."

Her voice made him sneak a look. Peeking behind his barrier, he saw that the girl had set her phone in her lap and was looking at the man with a polite smile.

A little grin crept between his cheeks as he marveled how attractive she was. He leaned a little more, hoping to catch a better glimpse without exposing himself.

It was by default, what he did then. Finn Hudson started to draw conclusions about her corny stranger.

The man was dressed in a suit, navy blue under the light, but probably wouldn't be able to notice if he was in a much darker area. He had four buttons undone, revealing himself with lesser decency than the protocol and Finn knew that all he wanted from the brunette was some booty action.

"You look like a really decent man. So I think I would just save you the trouble and say that I'm sorry. But I'm not intere -"

"You have really big eyes." The man interrupted her.

Finn's eyes widened with bewilderment.

Rachel smiled a little wider, gaining the respect from her silent observer that she had grace of a mature woman.

"Thank you. But I am just not the one you're looking for. Trust me. Thank you again for coming over. But I'm waiting for a friend. So if you don't mind..." She trailed.

"Are you that confident that you're not the one for me? I mean, I don't know, with an ass like yours, I'd say we're a pretty perfect for each other."

Finn furrowed his brows and thought that perhaps the man didn't understand the level of respect for the opposite gender.

"Thank you again for complimenting me. But really, I think you should leave before -"

Finn took his cue and walked over.

When he was nearer the pair, he laid his free palm on the shoulder of the man and looked at the woman.

"Hi honey." Finn delivered with a half smile as for the second time that week, he made eye contact with her.

Rachel shifted a little and raised her eyebrows. She recognized him immediately but remained quiet. Straightening her back slightly, she stared back at him.

"Hey you." She replied with her shaky smile.

"My meeting ended a little later than expected. But I rushed over as soon after it was adjourned."

There was something about his voice and his smile that eased her slowly. She started to relax back into her seat, watching this man take control of her situation.

"That's okay, I didn't wait too long."

The man positioned paralleled to her stood up at her arrival of her 'friend'. He came up under the neck of Finn, much to the giant's delight that if anything became nasty, at least his height was intimidating.

"I'm, I'm sorry. I should go." Then, he took his departure before anything could happen.

It was Finn's turn to set his drink down at table beside him and look at her.

Somehow, to Rachel Berry, while she had these frequent encounters with men like him, there was a tingling sensation in her that hinted he might differ from the rest.

"Don't you just hate it when that happens?" He asked as he took a sip from his drink before leaning forward so that he could take a good look at her.

She bit her lip in a smile and nodded.

"I understood why he came over though."

"Oh you do?" She asked, intrigued at what his response would be

"Of course. Just by the way you carry yourself, whether you're just having fun or trying to relax after a long day's work, you do seem pretty together."

"Well thank you for that."

"The courage a man has to muster to even have a decent conversation with you is mind blowing. But that shouldn't be your problem right? I mean if he wants something badly, he should just go for it. Anyone stands a chance right?"

She nodded her head slightly. "Probably a little."

"Then again, don't all men want the same things? How would you be able to tell if a man is genuinely interested in getting to know you better?"

"Touché. They all seem pretty much the same to me."

"Not for some. I know for a fact that someone, by the name of Finn Hudson is sincerely interested in getting to know you. He's uh, what can you say? He's a consultant. But then again, that wouldn't really reel you in now, would it?"

"Well that depends. He does come off a little more refreshing from her usual scene and change is always good around here. Rachel Berry, journalist of EG magazine is a little intrigued by how well he carries himself. She might be interested."

He smiled at her smart delivery.

"Wouldn't help. Because the minute she walks out that door, he would be forgotten. And then she would lead her life without him, just as how she always had before they met. And you know what? He'd just become labeled as one of those guys that bothered her while she was awaiting her friend at a bar on that one night."

"Don't you just hate stereotypes?"

He leaned back and the grin grew wider, and her recollection of his deep set of dimples put her in back at their first acknowledgment.

"All the damn time."

She giggled and Finn felt his heart skip a beat at the melodious sound.

"Well then, I take that as my hint to leave. Pleasure to have met you Rachel Berry."

Then, he stood up and walked off. Her eyes followed him and as he crossed Tina, the Asian girl did a double take. She dropped her mouth as she looked at her friend, but Rachel's eyes were still fixated on his back.

"A martini. From the gentleman who just left." The waitress said, as she set down a glass.

Rachel looked up at her and her eyes trailed back to him. He was at the counter and engrossed in a conversation with the bartender.

A couple of seconds, just as Tina settled herself beside Rachel, Finn Hudson turned and nodded slightly, raising his glass bottle just as how he did a few nights ago.

She smiled and nodded before turning back to her friend. And as Tina took a sip from the martini in front of her, the brunette thought to herself,

_Pleased to have met you too Finn Hudson._

* * *

><p>I'm back from my 4? 5? Days hiatus, and it feels so good to be writing again! I'm sorry if I've made anyone wait for an update, but hoping that the Christmas season was a good holiday rest for you! Just caught New Year's Eve ytd and how awesome was Lea Michele in it? "Auld Lang Syne" has been on repeats in my iTunes! Anyway, crossing my fingers that I haven't lost any of my readers, and if you're near to this story, WELCOME! :')<p>

PS, Entertainment Gossip was a name I made up, so apologies if it clashed with anything!

Noro, sammystump and MudbloodGleek, HAI HAI HAI! I've certainly missed all of you so much, and it feels good to be back! I'm off my hiatus so hope that you're ready for more chapters to come! Much love to you!

Bananappancakes, d'aw! Thanks for enlightening me in how to say happy holidays in another language! You are so dear! :)

Finchel21, I couldn't see the crazy exclamation points, but I definitely felt your enthusiasm for it! YAY! And thank you again for being so supportive! Much love from me to you!

PaochiCute, HELLO LOVE! Certainly hope that your holidays have been filled with joy and fun! There is definitely some Bartie action coming up but in terms with Tina, I am still figuring out how things would go for her. Stay tune? :')

JustAHopelessRomantic, GAH, HELLO IRELAND! I'm not judging about your romantic comedies knowledge because I'm a huge fan too! Love the fact that you're still sticking with me, and hope that you're enjoying yourself!


	6. Ch 6 The First Date

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"Okay, you can do this. You can do this!"<p>

Artie Abrams was trying his utmost best not to psych himself out before he could meet her.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Finn questioned as he leaned against the table.

Artie stopped rolling himself around and looked at his 'help'.

"Do you think I can?"

"From the looks of it, I highly doubt so."

"I can't do this can I? Oh god, why did I agree to this?" Then, the bespectacled man started to hyperventilate.

Finn stood up and walked towards the man in wheels. He forced his hands on the handle of the chair and stared at him.

"That was a test and you failed!" He started to raise his voice.

"Listen! If you can't do this without being able to breathe properly, then oh god help us all. But if there's the man that I talked to a couple of days ago; that man who was so certain about his beliefs that Brittany Pierce was magic, is still inside of your scared little self, I need him to do this right now!"

Just then, the door swung wide open and Finn stood upright again. The tall man left the room quickly, after giving his client a nod for support.

Within minutes, in walked the famous dancer with her group of managers and Artie Abrams could feel the sweat on his palms soak his pants.

He stayed in his corner, too afraid to look her in the eye.

Finally, the boss of the man strolled in, and their meeting began.

"Okay, so we were thinking jungle. Leaves everywhere, until you appear looking lost and hydrated. And then you walk, slowly into the scene where there's a rock. Right in the middle of everything else, there's a cup. And you walk to it, with the song playing in the background. How does that sound?"

All eyes were turned to Brittany Pierce as they waited for her reply.

She looked around the room nervously and Artie knew she wasn't too keen on the idea. He wasn't surprised.

The proposal for the cup advertorial wasn't exactly what he had expected either. To have Brittany Pierce in the jungle was obviously manipulating her sex appeal.

"Well, I was wondering we could just have it in a quiet room, like you know after a run or something. Or maybe we could feature my dance rehearsals from the "Run The World (Girls)" video. It doesn't have to be that extreme does it? I could walk in feeling really tired and the cup can be my savior or something."

"Well, how about this, we'll keep that in mind and if some glitch comes up, we'll use it."

Brittany sighed and looked down. She nodded slightly and whispered, "Sure."

Artie looked at the blonde dancer. He could relate the disappointment in her eyes and knew the feeling she was going through when she was shot down.

Why wouldn't he know? When you're in a chair, it's hard to ever feel like you're grown up. Everyone's always doing stuff for you, get freaked out about saying the wrong thing so they coddle you. Sometimes, it's hard to ever picture a life of being totally self-sufficient.

He looked at Brittany and he felt all of the determination melt away from her face. He knew that this was the moment Finn was talking about.

_Awe and shock. Awe and shock. Awe and shock. AWE and SHOCK. AWE AND SHOCK. AWE AND SHOCK!_

Needless to say that as Artie Abrams was chanting in his head, he hadn't realize that the voice in his head, which might have been Finn Hudson's, was slowly slipping through his lips.

"Artie, do you have something to say?"

Everyone in the meeting room looked to the man in the corner including the dancer. For the first time ever, his eyes met hers and he could feel himself losing the strength to breath.

His heart rate increased as he looked at his boss and said the next line with fear.

"Yes. I, I do have so-something t-to say." He swallowed hard before continuing. Then he turned to Brittany again.

"If you want to do things your way then you should assert yourself. You are the star of the commercial and you shouldn't be taking orders from us. We should be listening to what you want to do."

"Artie, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that as a by-stander, it is unfair for Miss Pierce to be listening to all the CRAP we've given her!" Artie turned to look at his boss.

"What is is you just said?"

"I said we've been giving her crap!"

Then, as though his confidence had taken over his soul, he looked into the eyes of the dancer. He saw that a smile had appeared on her face and was ecstatic that for the first time, it was him who generated that.

Before he could open his mouth, his boss stood up and walked over.

"Listen, I know you're just a little intern, so keep in mind that I am ready to fire you at any moment if you keep talking like that!"

At that moment, Artie realized that he might have gone too far. Shrinking back down into his seat, he looked down on his lap and nodded meekly.

"You're off this project Artie. I think you should leave the room so that we can discuss the rest of the plot WITHOUT any interruptions."

Hearing the command for his dismissal, Artie took one last look at Brittany. She had sympathetic eyes for which he knew that she empathized his effort.

As he rolled out, his gaze fixated on hers, what she did was so unbelievable; he almost had to pinch himself back to reality.

Mouthing the words through the glass window, she said,

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Okay, tell me again. What did you say?" Finn inquired his client.<p>

"I may have said something about my boss giving her crap." Artie replied in a low voice. His head was bowed down as he played with the stress ball on his desk.

"I guess it was good that she finally knew about you huh." He tried to sound supportive.

"What does it matter? I'm at risk of losing my job now, it doesn't even matter if she knew about my existence for that one second because well, when would I ever have the chance to talk to her again?"

Finn looked down and shook his head in disappointment. He massaged his temples; unsure of the next move that could repair the hole Artie had dug himself in.

Before he could speak up, a pair of stilettos appeared, causing him to look at the owner of the four-inch heels.

"Mr. Abrams?" Brittany Pierce called out, ignoring the giant leaning against the intern's tiny desk cubicle.

Artie rotated his chair slightly and looked up at her. She crouched down so that she could be at his height before speaking to him.

"Thanks for what you did there. That was really brave of you."

"Uh, uh, uh." He stuttered and looked up at the man standing behind the blonde.

Mouthing the words, Artie took his cue from Finn.

"No p-problem."

"Listen, I was hoping to get your insight about something that I've been working on. It's a more private project, but it'll be good if we could get together some time, to discuss this idea I had."

Artie looked behind her shoulders again and Finn scratched the faded stubble on his chin, in hopes to show that the man in the wheel chair should 'consider' her offer before agreeing so readily.

"I, uh, I uh, have to check my schedule."

"Oh, yeah sure. You must have a handful on your plate working in this company."

Finn hid his chuckle behind his palm. He knew for a fact that as an intern, or at least Artie's internship in the company had him waiting around most of the time.

"Why don't I give you my number and you can just give me a call?"

Artie nodded and Brittany dug into her shoulder bag for a name card.

"My private cell isn't on there, so uh, do you have a pen I could borrow?" She asked, still fiddling inside her bag.

Finn drew out a ballpoint from the penholder on Artie's desk and handed it over to the man in the wheelchair.

Passing the stationary over, Artie remained frozen with fear in his seat. He gulped hard and looked at Finn, ready for his next instruction.

Instead, Finn pointed at his eyes and commanded for the man to focus on the woman in front of him.

Artie whipped his head forward and just as he did so, Brittany looked up with a smile and handed him the card.

"Oh and call me Brittany."

With that, she stood up and left. What she didn't see was that as she stepped into the elevator awaiting her, Artie Abrams felt every bit of oxygen disappear into thin air and passed out in his seat, completing with Finn's desperation to wake the man.

* * *

><p>She was talking on the phone when the courier services arrived at her office the next day.<p>

"Rachel Berry?"

The brunette raised her hand while she bid her goodbye to the caller.

"Sign here." The deliveryman instructed as he pulled out a package from his bag pack.

After scrawling her initials on the piece of paper, she started unwrapping the little box. It confused her, as to why the postman was still standing beside her table, but she carried on with the task of unraveling her package anyway.

By then, Rachel Berry had generated a crowd around her desk, with Quinn and Sam the closest to her.

The blonde woman raised her eyebrows with curiosity as Sam lazily dropped his arm around his girl.

The tiny reporter dug through the Styrofoam and finally pulled out a walkie-talkie.

She started to play around with the object when the handheld transceiver started to cackle into life.

"So let's say I didn't want to be written off as one of the guys."

Her jaw dropped with shock as she realized the owner of this strangeness.

"Does this make me a little more original?"

"I see you've upgraded yourself from a man at a bar to a stalker." She grinned.

"Well, unless I get a restraining order, I think I'll stick to the man at the bar."

"What do you want Finn?"

He chuckled lightly and the laugh brought a surge of adrenaline up her throat.

"What if for one night, I could take down that title as 'the one I met at the bar' to 'the one I dated on a Friday', do you think you'd be able to help me with that?"

Sam smirked at the man's way of asking Rachel out. Being a close friend of hers, he had seen his fair share of men pounce on the tiny brunette. But he had to give credit to Finn for attempting the impossible. Rachel simply didn't date men she met on a random night.

"I can't. I got a couple of events to go to."

"Ah, the life of a gossip columnist. Well, Saturday then?"

Quinn pointed to a sticky note on the board, reminding Rachel of an important party they had to attend that weekend.

"I got a party to go to."

"Do you know the definition of perseverance Miss Berry?"

"As opposed to being obnoxious?"

He smirked. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Okay Hudson, how do I get rid of you?"

"The Riverside Park, Sunday morning, 4am." With that, he clicked off without leaving a trail of hint but the postman's package on Rachel's desk.

"4 AM?" She yelped.

The brunette looked up at the deliverer with an uncertain expression.

"You said Sunday right?"

Rattling the rectangular box, a much bigger sized one as compared to the first, she inquired rhetorically, "What if I said Friday?"

Pulling apart the ribbon on the package, she disclosed a pair of wrist guards and looked at her two friends with disgust.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 is here! I hope you guys are still enjoying this and for the Finchel fans, the next chapter's going to be a long one about their date! Crossing my fingers that you're just as excited about it as I am! Glee reference to S03E05! Anyway, the New Year is sneaking up on us, and in case I don't upload before the 31st, here's to a hopeful &amp; joyous 2012!<p>

Noro, MudbloodGleek, Finchel21 and theluckyclover HAI HAI HAI! Seriously thank you so very much for all the support, all of you are just so dear. Thank you again for the reviews, it was absolutely lovely. And to theluckyclover, glad to see you still enjoying this honey!

Sammystump and laylita83, I certainly had a wonderful Christmas and hoping that yours was just as brilliant as mine was! Hoping that you had fun in this one too!

PaochiCute, darling you are back. And how have I missed you! Well, I did catch New Year's Eve for the 2nd time just a couple of hours ago and that's just how much I love it! You would be proud of Lea because she was flawless. Just absolutely flawless in it.

Finnchell and Supercyke AHHH! WELCOME YOU GUYS! THANK YOU! For even telling me that you loved the chapters so far. Certainly hoping that I wouldn't disappoint you in the upcoming ones! But you are so much love for telling me that you're enjoying this! Hope the fun lasts! :') Have a lovely day!


	7. Ch 7 The Swinging Cramps

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>Rachel groaned as her alarm beeped for the third time that dreadful morning. She narrowed her eyes, in attempts to drone the noise away with her deathly stare. Much to no avail, she let out a breath of annoyance and stuffed her face back into the comfort of her pillows.<p>

Finally after a couple more rings, the alarm on her phone silenced. Doing a victory dance in her head, Rachel oozed into the comfort of the dark morning and snuggled deeper in her blanket.

Not resigning to the fact that Rachel had won in the early morning battle, the Marimba tone echoed through her bedroom once again in a matter of seconds.

Sensing that she didn't have any other choice, Rachel dragged her body upright. Sleep was weighing her down and she had never felt heavier.

As she dropped her left foot on the ground, the brunette thought for a moment. Perhaps it was possible that she had gained a few extra pounds over the past five hours of sleep.

Trudging towards the adjoining bathroom, she fumbled for the switch. The flick seemed deafening and she cursed silently.

Who the hell wakes up at this ungodly hour?

* * *

><p>"Wow, good morning." Finn greeted the brunette as she appeared before him. He took a minute to admire the way she looked. There was something different about her today.<p>

Her eyes were reduced to slits, completed with the pursing of her lips. Aside the unfriendly face, she still looked gorgeous. Possibly even better looking that he had remembered.

She had reduced her nightlife makeup, and for the first time he realized that she had a really good complexion. Her hair was no longer pulled back, but fell nicely down, ending just below her shoulders.

Instead of the sexy dress and work clothes he had seen her in, this morning, she was dressed casually in a plain white tee completed with midnight blue skinny jeans. In her left palm was accompanied with a tumbler, which she was constantly sipping into.

It registered to Finn that at that moment, he liked this Rachel Berry.

"Good would have been at 10." She muttered with a tinge of exasperation. Taking another limitless drop of her homemade caffeine, she looked at him.

He had on a striped hoodie over a black graphical tee. Instead of the formal wear she was used to seeing, he was clad in jeans and a pair of Converse.

One thing she didn't understand was that despite his dressing down, he still looked just as much of a charming gentleman as she had last remembered him to be.

He chuckled and took a step closer to her.

She fussed her bangs with her fingers and stared back at him, finally getting used to the fact that she was up this early in the day.

"You're very much taller than I remembered."

He smiled softly and bit his lip to hide his nervousness. "Don't I get that a lot?"

Finally, as joy set in, she giggled and he started to relax at her laugh.

"Care to explain what the wrist guards are for?" She inquired before her morning coffee met her lips again.

"We'll save that for later. Let's take a walk shall we?"

"You woke me up this early for a walk?"

When he was unresponsive, his smile was the only answer that led to her surrender.

Sighing, she said, "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>"So, how was your week so far? You look less uhm, frazzled."<p>

She looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah well, I love my job. Really, I do. It just gets a little hectic in the office sometimes."

"Glad to see that it hasn't affected your sleep though." He replied teasingly.

"Oh I get ample sleep; all the time. Until some man at the bar decided to ruin it for me. I should have stuck with the relationship with my bed this morning instead of listening to the bitch of an alarm."

"Aw Berry, now you're making me feel bad."

"You should!"

He laughed light-heartedly and shoved his hands into his pockets. He led the couple towards a park bench and slowed down his pace upon approaching the wooden property.

They sat down, and the sky was still dark. Waves from the Hudson River crashed slightly against the barriers and she closed her eyes to absorb the unusual morning scene around her.

The smell of the 530AM cold breeze and leaves rattling on the ground was exquisite and something she had never really took note of. She had been to the Riverside Park countless times. But this morning had been a first for her to come in when it was still dark out.

The cool breeze eased her into a comfort zone she never really knew about. Maybe that was the reason why Finn Hudson could seem so calm and collected even in the midst of a crowded bar. She felt every tightened muscle relax into the view ahead of her of the Manhattan skyline.

In a weird way, she found herself considering the idea of taking morning trips down in the future. Then again, she'd have to conquer the loath she had for alarms.

"Feeling better?" Finn questioned softly into the still morning as though he knew what the environment was doing to her body.

She nodded slightly with her eyes closed. He smiled. Yeah, he could most definitely get used to this Rachel Berry.

As she stayed in this position for the next couple of minutes, Finn decided to look at her instead of admiring the beauty of where he was. He hadn't been down to the Riverside Park this morning in ages, but he saw himself getting back to the habit again soon.

Her hands were resting on her thighs; with the tumbler she had now stopped drinking from, in the middle of her cross-legged position on the park bench.

The way she sat made her look a little younger than she seemed from the previous nights. In fact, she looked like a little teenager when she did so. But Finn knew she was being in her utmost comfort zone by the way her shoulders droop into laziness. He started out with a half smile and slowly crawled further apart into a boyish beam.

"Okay Finn. I give. You got me up at 3AM to introduce me into this weird yoga-like place. And it's beautiful. But if this is the end of it, I might actually have to kill you."

"Then I guess it's time to take those wrist guards out."

Just when he thought that nightlife Rachel Berry was left behind and forgotten, that sassy character shone through her smile as she said,

"Now you're talking."

* * *

><p>"Rachel, I'd like to introduce to you Shannon Bieste."<p>

The tiny brunette was a little intimidated by the burly woman standing in front of her. She had curly hair that was cut into a roundish bob, which made her look tough. The woman was definitely shorter than Finn, but tall for the gender.

Still, being the gracious Rachel Berry, she outstretched her palm to offer a handshake.

"Hi Rachel, pleased to meet you."

Nodding in reply, she fell beside the step of Finn and looked to him.

"Coach, think you could help us out here?"

"No problem. Ever done this Rachel?" She looked at the tiny girl with a little gleam in her eye that seemed to creak the unfamiliarity between them.

"Not since I was a little girl."

"Ah well, then you wouldn't have a problem there. Or at least, I hope you'll be fine."

"I'm up for it." Rachel replied with a bit more confidence.

"You've got yourself a little daredevil here Finn." The older woman said laughingly before walking away.

"You sure you can do this Rach?" He asked, the nickname for her easily slipping through his lips.

She strapped on the wrist guards and bit her lip but recovered quickly.

"Don't be fooled by my size. You might be 6 feet tall, but this," Her hand travelled downwards from the top of her head to as low as she could reach, and continued, "Is a feisty pepper. Come on! Chop, chop! Let's get the show on the road."

He grinned at her confidence.

"Now that's my girl."

"Okay, Rachel. The Swing-A-Ring is quite simple. There aren't any rules, but to be safe. Trick to surviving this whole thing, let go when you're ready." Bieste instructed as the tiny brunette made her way towards her.

Rachel licked her lips and rubbed her hands together.

"Do you want me to go first? You could pick up a few pointers." Finn offered.

She shook her head with resolution. "I'm going to this my way."

Finding a position in the sand-pit, she looked up at the handles and said to herself under her breath,

"How hard can it be?"

Pulling herself up, she grimaced at the strength she had to use and started to rock her body forward. When she got the hang of it, she looked towards the two people watching her and presented a big smile of her face.

"Finn! Look! Look at me! I told you I could do it!"

He applauded at her childlike behavior. If anyone had different personalities that could reel his interest in, it was Rachel Berry.

From the confident woman she was a moment ago, the swinging rings managed to flip the innocence switch in her, transforming the grown woman back into a child simply excited by the achievement she gained in Swing-A-Ring fun.

Shannon Bieste laughed along at Rachel's satisfaction and watched with care as she made her way towards the end speedily.

Finally as she descended back to the ground, Rachel Berry did a little curtsy before running towards Finn who welcomed her with an embrace.

"Did you see how agile I was up there Finn?" She asked again, her large rounded brown eyes looking up for the seal of approval that she did a job well done.

He laughed and kissed the top of her forehead for assurance.

"You were amazing."

She nodded, pleased with his response. Then, she wiggled herself out of his arms and gave a slight nudge.

"Okay well, beat that tough guy!"

He walked towards the starting point and turned to give a confident smirk as he pointed to her.

"Watch and learn Berry."

She crossed her arms across her chest.

"Bring it!"

* * *

><p>"Ow, ow, ow!" He held his lower thighs and sneered at the pain in his legs. Rachel and Bieste rushed to his side upon seeing the man drop himself to the ground.<p>

The tiny girl put an arm around his shoulder and held unto his elbow.

"Finn? Are you alright?"

Shannon Bieste had already gotten to work, removing the sneakers from the man and rotating his foot.

He smiled weakly at the girl who inquired about his pain.

"That's definitely something to watch and learn about Hudson." She said teasingly, hoping that her joke could lessen the throbbing shots up his feet.

He scrunched his face up as Bieste increased her force in fixing the cramps he had.

Laughing at his horrid face, Rachel pinched his nose lightly and said,

"Look at you. And you said that I could pick up a few pointers in completing this."

"Hey! Its just cramps!" He argued back defensively.

"Uh huh." She said unconvinced that he would have been able to beat her anyway.

The woman at the end of his foot stopped rotating his feet and chuckled at the man.

"I'd say someone's getting a little out of shape."

Rachel giggled at Bieste's comment and helped the man up. His arm was draped across her shoulders and she struggled to keep up with his weight as he regained his balance.

"You alright Finn?" Rachel interrogated again.

He drew circles with his feet and shook the leg. Then, sending a thumb up, she was assured that he was.

"Come on Iron Man, why don't we take a seat first."

He shook his head and looked at Bieste who was watching the pair. Giving a slight nod, she retreated and walked away.

Still supported by the tiny girl in confusion, he said,

"It isn't over yet."

"Huh?"

"We still have one last thing to do before you're free to go."

"Finn! You're hurt."

"Like I said Berry, its just cramps. Come on, this way." He dropped his arm and held up his palm instead.

She shook her head and sighed, allowing him to lead the way.

Finn Hudson really did grasp the idea of perseverance to the core, for which, a trait she had come to admire about him.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 is here! I've decided to split the date into two parts, but I'm hoping that you're still excited about the next one! This isn't much of a cliffhanger, so before I update again, this is (hopefully) enough to tide you by until the New Year! Happy 2012 to all of my readers out there! I was having a really horrid day today, but the thought of all of you cheered me up instantly! :') It makes me feel really blessed that I've gotten to share every story I've submitted with the awesome Glee community this year. Best decision EVER!<p>

And, also, tumblr has been filled with Cory's pictures from the Sydney Meet and Greet! AHHHH! To all the Sydney fans that might have been around to see him, you readers are a lucky bunch! Definitely missing Australia so much right now! Well, hope it was a rad experience! Then again, of course it would have been cause it IS Cory :') Have a lovely day anyway!

Finnchell, bananappancakes, supercyke and noro. YAY! Glad to see that you're enjoying the chapters so far! Thank you eternally for the compliments, I really do not know what have I done to have people as amazing as you reading this. Xoxo from me to you! :')

FInchel21, HAI! HAI! HAI! HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 2012! You are too generous with your words! YOU, my dear, have made my year! Thank you for your presence, I simply do not know how could I have not known you sooner.

PerfectFinchel and laylita83, Yay! You guys like the feisty Rachel Berry! And well, I love her confidence and outgoing nature as well! Definite contrast from New York's Sweethearts huh! I have fallen in love with your reviews because really you're giving me too much praise and credit for this little thing I've done. Any case, I love you so much more for that. Keep smiling and stay beautiful!


	8. Ch 8 The Clumsy Unfortunate

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"You got to be kidding me." Rachel huffed with her hands on her hips as she watched Finn strap on a life jacket.<p>

"Come on Berry." He rushed her as he glanced at his watch before looking out into the horizon.

She started to tap her chin as she paced around in circles. 'Pondering' with seriousness, she started to question sarcastically.

"I wonder what do you have in store for us."

"Rach, come on!" He pushed further with impatience.

Dropping her act, she stopped and looked at him.

"Please. I know where this is going. First, you got me up this early in the morning for a 'relaxing workout'", air quoting the last two words, she burned her almond eyes into him so deeply, he had to turn away.

"After which, you'll show me the sunrise where you thought is the perfect place for me to fall hopelessly in love with you. Clichéd much Hudson?"

Rachel folded her arms and tucked them under her chest, trying to assert the fact that she saw right through his plan.

He took a step towards her and grinned. "So you think you got me all figured out huh?"

"Come on Finn. My guess is that you're trying to get into my good books by rowing us out into the Hudson River after picking out the perfect timing. In which, the sunrise would be exquisite, and I would supposedly see that you are just the romantic that you claim yourself to be."

He smirked at the detailed conjecture she came up with.

"So what, am I close?"

His hands, which held the oars, settled the wooden planks to the ground. Applauding at her assumption, he spoke up.

"Accuracy is definitely your middle name."

"Which is why I excel in my job." She inserted with a confident beam that once again, she was spot-on about the series of events to come.

He bent down to retrieve the oars and turned his back towards her.

"Unfortunately Berry, I'd have to say that you're wrong in this one. If you quit being such a know-it-all and get your butt into the kayak, you'll see that this is different from what you thought it would be."

"That's what you'll say now. But seriously Finn, it's close to 7am. You've won all right? I've seen the sunrise a billion times, so could we just forget about this?"

The morning coffee was wearing off the tiny brunette causing her cranky attitude to shine through her choice of words. All she wanted was to crawl back into the comfort of her bed and nap the afternoon away.

Finn sighed and Rachel saw that he had dropped his shoulders. He walked over to Coach Bieste who had watched the entire thing. The burly woman, at the edge of the platform, was holding unto the tiny canoe for the couple.

Watching him hand the paddles to the older woman, Rachel bit the corner of her lip nervously. Even she had to admit that perhaps she had gotten a bit too far to reject his intentions in such a blunt manner. She was certain that he had a well thought plan for their first date to run smoothly, only to be crushed by her lack-of-sleep impatience.

Taking tiny steps towards the man, she crouched slightly, suddenly finding him more intimidating than before.

"Finn, I'm sorry for that. I, I just, I'm just not into those sorts of things you know. I'm really sorry for... WOAH! OH. MY. GOD. FINN!"

Before she could continue on her apology, the giant man had marched right up to her and scooped the tiny frame into his arms.

Grabbing his neck with her dear life, she started demanding that he release her immediately.

"Rach, sweetheart. Did anyone ever tell you that you tend to talk too much?" His voice was now husky and rough. The new tone that he was using gave her chills that trickled through and through. It silenced her, which had been his intention.

"So I've heard." She replied shyly when he previewed the deep set of dimples. Shaking her head with embarrassment that she had allowed him to take control of their situation, she regained her initial confidence.

"Finn," She started out calmly. "Please put me down."

"Oh. Is that what you want?" The twinkle in his eye started to worry her. He walked to the edge of the platform where Shannon Bieste was kneeling. Then, he leaned forward.

Rachel Berry was now suspended in mid air, her body hanging over the river with nothing else to support her but his arms.

"FINN!" She let out an ear-piercing shriek that even he had to wince from its volume. However, he remained persistent.

He raised his eyebrows and gave an evil grin. "Was that a go ahead?"

"Finny! Come on!" Her desperate attempt for him to reel her back into his chest caused the nickname to roll off her tongue.

"Magic word?"

"Finny, please!"

Laughing at his victory, he retracted his arms and within seconds, she was safe against his body.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Smacking his head hard, she scolded with frown on her face.

"What's that? You want to go again?" He started to move his arms forward before earning another deafening scream from the brunette. Chuckling, he whispered into her ear when her head was nestled safely at the crook of his neck again.

"So are you gonna be a good girl and get into the kayak now?"

She nodded timidly. Her sudden fear wasn't just because he had the power over her. It was the way he was whispering into her ear that tingled her heart.

When he saw the way she was grabbing unto his arms, he kissed her forehead softly, which increased the heart rate of Rachel Berry.

Murmuring the words in a low voice, he said, "Don't you see Rach? You're pretty much left with no choice right now. Because you ain't going anywhere."

She took a chance to look up into his eyes. "Finn, could you put me down now?"

"Do you promise to do as I say and get in then?"

"I promise."

Setting her down gently, as her feet touched the ground, she contemplated making a run for it. But when she saw Finn patting Bieste's right shoulder, her heart softened at the sight in ways she couldn't comprehend.

So, she took the life jacket on the floor and strapped it over. Finn turned around to see her slipping the waterproof material over her head and took a step towards her.

Helping her fasten the buckle, she said quietly. "This is manipulation. Complete and utter manipulation."

He didn't reply but chose to laugh again. He held out his palm and supported her as she climbed into the tiny canoe.

"You good Rach?" He asked.

She held out her hand for the paddle and her smile was the answer he needed to see.

* * *

><p>"Okay Rachel, now we got to turn left into this bend." Finn instructed from behind.<p>

"Finn." She said exasperatedly for the third time since they got into the kayak.

"We're nearly there!" He reassured her before commanding again.

"Now paddle!"

Circling the oars, Rachel looked at the view in front of her. The sun was peeking through the landscape of Manhattan and she had to admit that it was indeed magnificent. Her rows began to slow down and Finn knew she was captivated.

He smiled to himself as he continued pushing them into the perfect place. When he spotted the first of them, his grin grew wider and started to slow down on the paddling himself.

Sensing the gradual stop, Rachel looked out into the horizon as though the dark sky were curtains being drawn to welcome the new day.

Finn had directed them into a clearing. Nothing was against her vision from the city she adored. The silhouettes of the buildings faded into color along with the sky. It took her breath away as the orange light with a strip of pink dissolved into the flawless wallpaper.

"Oh Finn." She said softly. "This is all too enchanting."

Being a tall man, Finn Hudson didn't have much space to maneuver himself around, but he leaned forward as much as his back could allow him so.

"Not too clichéd for you?" He whispered into her ear.

She titled her head so that she could look at him. A little smile had appeared at the tip of her lips as she said softly.

"It is Hudson." Her eyes now returned to the scene in front of her. "But no matter how clichéd this idea is, you can never disagree with anyone that it's beautiful."

"Yeah? Well then, perhaps this might make things a little less uhm, common."

He leaned back to his position so that she would turn to look at him.

With a confused face, he knew she was about to question him. Instead, he laid his index finger on his lips and pointed at the water surrounding them.

With the direction of the river pushing them slightly forward, they were brought into a pool surrounded by the white objects.

Upon seeing them, Rachel gasped at Finn's knowledge of her favorite flowers.

Orchids made her feel like she was floating on a cloud of infinite possibilities, which was why she had a pot on her office desk. Every time she would look at it, she'd be reminded that she was invincible.

To have the view of at least a hundred of them wavering in the water, just summed up how delicate and divine it was. With the sunrise ahead, Rachel Berry couldn't ask for a better greeting into a new morning.

"So?"

She turned at the sound of his voice. Laying her fingers over his palm, she traced the protruding veins on them and smiled at the action.

"You've outdone yourself Hudson."

"Yeah?" His excitement was evident, which made his voice squeak a little higher than he thought it would.

She nodded and gave a warm smile. Then, she picked up the wooden plank resting on the sides of the boat. He mirrored her action and they began to stir their way back.

"I'm not a sucker for romantic outings. But I'd have to say, kudos for the effort Finn. You've managed to make me realize that romanticism isn't so nauseating after all."

"Is that a compliment Rachel Berry? After your morning grouchiness and high self esteem, do I hear you humbling yourself to give me a compliment?"

"Don't push your luck with me Hudson. I'm still pissed that my sleep was ruined due to my curiosity."

"And now this is one of the times when I'm thankful that you're a reporter at heart."

She threw her head back in laughter. Finn made her feel comfortable around him and she liked it. But just as her impression of him was increasingly positive, what he did next made the meter go back down again.

WHACK!

"Oof!" Rachel's vision became a little blurry and she was convinced that perhaps the night sky had befallen upon them once again. Finn panicked as she started to sway.

"Rachel! Oh my god! Rachel!" He had caught her in the nick of time as the brunette came tumbling down into his arms.

"Rachel, Rachel!" He cried out nervously.

Her eyes fluttered.

"I'm so sorry! Rachel, answer me!" He smacked her face to ensure she stayed awake. Blinking constantly, she started to regain her vision again and smiled.

"Well that's something you certainly didn't expect on the first date."

He rubbed his neck in embarrassment with his left hand while the other supported her back.

"And do I get any points for clumsiness?"

She giggled and pulled herself up.

"Rach, are you sure you're alright?" He asked again, his voice thickened with concern.

She turned to look at him. "If I pass out, then you'll know I'm not." Laughing at the worried expression on his face, she flipped her hair.

"Come on Finn! Stop being such a worry wart and let's get a move on!"

* * *

><p>Finn Hudson stirred the tiny kayak towards the platform where Shannon Bieste had been awaiting their arrival. When she saw that a light bruise had emerged on the top of the brunette's forehead, she got to her feet.<p>

"Rachel! What happened?"

The pain from the hit started to seep through her skull and only when the burly woman questioned, did she feel the actual impact of the accident.

Holding unto the wooden leaf-shaped object, Finn stepped out cautiously back on land and explained himself hurriedly.

"I sort of hit her in the head while I wanted to change direction."

That comment earned a smack on his head from the older woman. She held into the oars given by Finn and turned to assist Rachel. Instead a loud splash sounded and when Shannon Bieste turned around, all she could see was a foot flailing in the air.

Rachel, who was now safe on the platform, had watched the scene of Bieste knocking Finn into the waters with the paddles. She roared with laughter, ignoring the slight throbbing pain in her head. This was definitely a first for her.

Finn's head emerged seconds after, and he was trembling from the temperature of the water.

"Finn!" Bieste shouted and leaned forward to pull him up. When the soaked man was back on land, Bieste laughed at the scene of the couple.

"Well, that went well."

Rachel flinched as Finn shook himself vigorously, splashing drops of the river unto her. Then, she began rubbing the spot where the bruise had darkened. The leading people of the date did appear to have had a horrible time.

Bieste showed them to the nearest park bench and sat them down. Running off to pack up the elements, the pair sat in silence, taking in the misfortunes from the past hour.

Stifling a laugh at the way Finn looked, Rachel clobbered her mouth with her fingers while her body shook, giddy with the comical scene before her.

Finn, who had started to realize that she probably wouldn't look at him the same way, raised her eyebrows in confusion.

She reached out to smooth the ends of his hair that was sticking out in random places. Wiping away the droplets off his face, she cupped his cheek.

"Now there's the man I noticed at the bar." She said softly before settling her fingers down on her lap.

He grinned at the unexpected comment and felt a thump in his heart.

Rachel started to rub the sore spot in circles, now that there was nothing else to distract her from the pain. Wiping away as much dampness as he could from his palms, Finn leaned forward to tuck her hair behind her ear.

He saw that a dark bluish patch had appeared and winced at the print he made.

"Ouch, that must have hurt huh?" He asked gently.

She grinned and looked into his eyes. "You think?"

"Well, I've got what I deserved I guess. When the oar hit me in the stomach, it definitely burned."

Giggling, she placed her hand over the place he talked about and rubbed it gently.

"Better?"

"Perfect."

She retrieved her hands, and wondered to herself what could have possessed her to be so affectionate.

Just then, Bieste came running back with two ice packs and handed to them. Looking like a depressed pair, she laughed at the sight again before excusing herself for work.

Nodding, Finn concentrated on healing the funny sensation in his stomach. However, when the brunette beside him remained silent, he slid further into his seat to allow the packet to do its work.

Leaning over, he took her hand away and reached out to hold the pack for her.

"You know you've probably done the worst you ever could have on a first date. You think holding out an ice pack for me is gonna help change my mind about you?"

"Well it certainly wouldn't narrow the chances." His lips turned upwards into a half smile.

Removing the pack after a minute or two, he looked at the mark and pursed his lips. He blew gently over the area, which had now turned numb from the zero degrees packet. When his lips came closer to her, Rachel felt his breath on her cheek, reddening the surface area of them.

"Better?" He asked, ignorant to the things he were doing into her face and pulse.

"Perfect."

* * *

><p>I'm back into the New Year with a long ch. 8! And yay to everyone who has wished me a Happy New Year! My countdown to 2012 was fantastic and am sure that yours was too! It's the New Year for all of us so here's to a new beginning and new changes for all of you! Inspired by Lea Michele's character "Elise," Rachel was written in this! Also a reference to the film, "The Perfect Man" Much love into the New Year from me to you!<p>

PerfectFinchel, bananappancakes. CarCarBeepBroom, Supercyke and noro! HAI HAI HAI! All of you are just fabulous, and I'm hoping that 2012 will be wonderful for you! Because well, you deserve to have a beautiful year! Each of you have made 2011 astounding for me and the make everything worthwhile for you is that the following 12 months will be magnificent! Keep believing in love! :')

Sliguu AHHHHHH! I WAS SCREAMING IN MY HEAD WHILST READING YOUR REVIEW! YOU ARE ONE LUCKY GIRL YOU KNOW THAT? I'VE HEARD THAT HE LOOKS A LOT BETTER IN PERSON AND STILL AM WONDERING HOW YOU MANAGED TO SURVIVE BECAUSE HOW IS IT POSSIBLE WHEN HE'S SO PERFECT ON-SCREEN? I FEEL SO HAPPY FOR YOU MY DEAR! I GUESS 2011'S COMPLETE FOR YOU SINCE YOU'VE GOT YOUR DREAM COME TRUE! FANGIRLING OVER YOUR LUCKY SITUATION! :')

PaochiCute Hello darling! You've been terribly missed! I got to say though, credits go to the writers of Hitch because well, it did happen so in the film! Smart smart way I'd have to say! Which is why I added in here! But this second half of the date isn't so much similar to the movie so hoping you'll still enjoy it though! Watched NYE yet love? The soundtrack's still on repeats in my iTunes! Have a lovely day!

Theluckyclover, aw honey! You're the cute one! Don't worry though, I've had to do a little research about things-to-do in Riverside Park, seeing that I've never been. Writing up this chapter and the previous one is making me wish I could travel to NYC right now! :')

Angel Eyed Vampire, Mandy-twinkletoes, Cici OMGOSH! WELCOME YOU GUYS! I don't know how you stumbled into this story! It must have been an accident because you people deserve to be reading better stories than this one! But in any case, to see you enjoying yourself is a plus point! My heart is just warmed by the sweetest and kindest words you've given me and I'm already loving you for liking this! Thank you so much and I'll try and deliver the remaining chapters as best I can! Don't give up on me!


	9. Ch 9 The Wheelchair Bound

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>His grin ran a mile at her answer.<p>

Rachel Berry would be someone he could describe as unpredictable. Then again, for any love story about a boy like him, there would always be the leading lady whom he couldn't quite read. This was the important part that made her different from everyone else.

His job consisted of him understanding women. And yet, here was his star of the story putting him in uncomfortable positions, making a fool out of himself due to nervousness and messing up due to uncertainty. Basically what went right didn't and what he'd expected hadn't.

But that's what makes Finn Hudson attracted to Rachel Berry. Doesn't it?

Her cheeks started to heat up and she moved away from him to avoid any further interaction. Her phone rang, and she gave a sigh of relief, being saved by the bell, literally.

"Hello?"

"Rachel! A new sighting was just released!"

Quinn's anxious voice flowed through the caller's end and the brunette looked at the giant man who had gone back to nursing himself.

Reality was calling her back to her commitment. As much as she wanted to spend the rest of the day with him, it was time to return to the relationship she had been in since she gotten her dream career as a journalist.

"Hey Q. I'll be at the office as soon as I can."

Hearing her statement, Finn looked up. When the tiny girl was done with her conversation, she gave him an apologetic look.

Setting the ice pack aside, he said.

"I guess that's why they say that gossip never stops."

"I'm sorry that this has to end now."

He laughed gently.

"Well, I did wonder if you were even going to show up at 4am. But you did. Then after the walk around the park, I was debating with myself if you'd leave. After embarrassing myself with the cramps, I was pretty sure you'd walk away, determined to never speak to such a loser again. By the end of the sunrise, I was certain that you'd bail the minute we touched land. I guess you staying with me throughout had already surpassed my expectations."

"Well, if we are being honest here, I did consider bailing. But like you said, curiosity's the main drive for anything in my life, really. I just couldn't help myself."

"In my defense, I pictured the entire morning to go a different way in my head."

"I'll bet you did."

"You didn't plan on that call did you?" He asked warily. "Like you didn't text a girlfriend to save you from your miserable morning or something like that."

"No. It was really about work." She giggled.

"Does that mean I get another shot?" He asked as he slid closer to her, hope filling his question.

"You're that confident that you can turn all these misfortunes around?" She asked teasingly.

Folding his arms, he replied. "I'll take all the chances I can get."

Shaking her head, she inquired out her thoughts. "What is it with men and proving themselves?" Then she stood up and walked towards the direction of the lockers that kept the remaining valuables.

Following her, he backed himself up. "It's the determination. We're just not ready to quit when we have space for improvement."

Nodding in agreement, she smiled.

The couple gathered the items and headed for the exit. Being the gentleman that he was, he flagged the cab and got a forthcoming vehicle to stop in his favor.

Opening the door to the yellow taxi, she looked at him. Rachel opened her mouth to begin to speak after sliding into the seat.

"Thank you for the morning. It was it was certainly different."

The sparkle in her eyes as she bid her goodbye was the indicator he needed to re-boost his confidence.

* * *

><p>Finn drummed his fingers, watching the man in the wheelchair sweat his nerves away.<p>

He held up the phone in vexation and stared down at Artie Abrams who was looking at everything else but the object in Finn's hands.

"Dude, you have to make that call."

"Why couldn't we do it another day? I've got plenty of..."

"NO" The man said firmly. "We are doing this now."

Sensing that Artie wouldn't budge, he went right ahead to dial the number. Handing the phone over with it ringing on the other end, he said, "You've got no choice right now."

"Oh my god it's ringing." Artie started to fan himself vigorously while Finn rolled his eyes and commented rhetorically under his breath, "As opposed to?"

"Hello?"

Artie's eyes widened at the voice of Brittany S. Pierce and Finn hit the speaker button.

"Hello?" She questioned again and the man in the wheelchair was brought back to reality.

Opening his mouth, somewhere between the first syllable and the second, Artie Abrams had lost the knowledge to speak, leading Finn to snatch the phone from him.

"Hi, Miss Pierce, I have Artie Abrams calling for you."

His eyes widened at Finn's comment and he whispered sharply, "Tell her I'm at lunch!"

Covering the end of the phone, he raised his eyebrows, "We called her to tell her you're at lunch?"

Handing the cordless phone back to him, he nodded for encouragement.

"H-hi Brittany."

"Hi, how are you doing?"

"I'm good I'm doing good. Uhm, about that get together you were talking about, I don't think I can give you a date for next week."

"Oh, so this week then?"

Finn put on a 'considering look' and Artie took his cue.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure about that."

"Oh yeah, I mean, whatever's good for you."

The bespectacled man smiled with a little more confidence.

"Oh, don't worry. It will happen. I can't wait for it to happen." He started to roll off, sensing that Finn had now given him the freedom to carry on the conversation himself.

Not noticing the pillar in his way, he ramped himself hard and winced at the pain.

Finn brought his palm to his face and was convinced that Artie would just keep up with this embarrassment.

"Artie? Are you all right?" The woman's concern echoed through the room and he rubbed his knee.

"Oh it's nothing." He rubbed the swollen spot on his knee before clearing his throat.

"So uh, anyway, how about tonight? There's this event for young filmmakers tonight on 52nd. Are you interested? It could give you a little inspiration four your project."

"Oh yeah, that sounds like fun."

"Good!" He squeaked at the excitement. "I'll see you there at 8. This is really awesome Miss Pierce."

"Call me Brittany." A soft giggle escaped her lips and Finn looked up in confusion.

"Wow, Brit-Brittany. Seriously, you have no idea how awesome this is for me. I think I might be hallucinating right now. Do you think you could repeat yourself again? I swear. I hadn't even expected that you'd... Hello? Hello?"

Finn sensed the over talkative nature taking over the man and had cut off the conversation. Artie looked at him and saw the thumb whammed against the button.

Shaking his head, Finn sighed and returned to the original position where his palm hovered his face.

* * *

><p>After lunch, the pair returned to the apartment of Artie's to discuss his date for that evening.<p>

"People like Brittany Pierce is a celebrity. And do you know what that means?"

"She looks really hot?"

"Well, yeah. But that's not what I wanted to say." _Artie Abrams had so much to learn_, thought Finn.

"It means that people are watching her all the time. And every single person is going to know who she is. The event tonight would be filled with paparazzi, reporters, journalists, and they're all going to want a piece of her. If you're going to end up dating this girl, you need to let them know who you are."

"But I'm just some loser in a wheelchair."

"And that's something we're gonna change; Tonight."

The confident tone in Finn gave Artie an edge. He needed to do this. Finn was here to coach him for the night, but when he's going to be with her at the event later on, he was on his own. He hoped that if he played his cards right, he might manage a second date out of it all.

Like mentioned, IF he played his cards right.

"You're already going to stand out from the crowd, being the one in the wheelchair. And everyone's going to question who you are and what are you doing with her. I'm warning you, it might not be pretty."

Artie nodded solemnly. "I know what's all of that about."

"And are you sure you can handle all of that?"

"I've been handling all of that since I got into the accident. You get hit in the face because you come up to everyone's waist level. Then there's that free period in high school because you can't go to PE and everyone takes that opportunity to target you. You should have seen me during dodge ball."

Finn grimaced at the thought. "I guess it was always tough out there for you huh."

"You haven't heard anything yet."

"Yeah?" Finn perched up on his seat with his elbows on the counter top of Artie Abrams' kitchen.

Artie looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. Finn saw him close his eyes as though he was trying to convince himself of something. Then, the man looked at him again.

"I always wanted to be a performer. But I'm never actually going to become a dancer. My legs are never going to work again. So I thought maybe I could be the man behind the camera."

"Have you ever..."

"Tried walking again? Of course I have. I have spent so many years thinking about what it'll feel like if I could get out of the chair. Sometimes, I dream so much about it, I'd wake up in the morning thinking some miracle has happened and I could walk again."

"Do you have any moves?"

"I'm sorry?" Artie asked, puzzled at Finn's question.

"I'm pretty damn sure that you got some moves yourself."

A little smile crept up his face. "Well, I guess I do know how to dance a little. I find myself dreaming about dancing to Safety Dance."

"We can dance if you want to, we can leave your friends behind." Finn started to point his fingers in the air and wiggled them.

Artie laughed at the lyrics and added in the next line while bobbing in his seat. "Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance, well they're no friends of mine."

Finn threw his head back with laughter. "Then I guess I wouldn't be your friend then."

Calming himself down from the earlier self-entertainment, Artie looked at Finn. "You don't dance?"

"It's not that I don't. It's that I can't."

"Come on, I'm sure you can."

"Probably in another universe." He replied cynically.

"But you're Finn Hudson! You should have some sort of signature move to be able to get all the ladies."

Finn thought about his date from the previous week and how Rachel had seen make a fool out of himself at every single step of the way. He rubbed his neck and said under his breath.

"Not all the ladies. And certainly not her." Then he cleared his throat and returned to his normal volume.

"I mean I do have this thing I do called tiny dancing. It's this thing where you're in this little space and everything's kept in this invisible box. So everything has got to be small."

Finn started to demonstrate what he meant and moved to a little beat he created himself. He looked like he was confined in some claustrophobic square but somehow, contrary to how huge he was, this 'tiny dancing' worked for him.

"It's not much. But hey, if you can imagine it, it can come true."

"Just like how it is with Brittany?"

He beamed at the fire in Artie's hopeful eyes. "Just like how it is with Brittany. Now come on, let's fix your wardrobe and get that magic."

* * *

><p>Chapter 9! And I have to send every single reader my deepest and most sincere apologies because I know how overdue this is! Been coming back to the chapter constantly because I so badly wanted to write more Finchel, but I felt it was also necessary to explore the Finn &amp; Artie friendship. So I hope you're not too disappointed from the lack of it! Glee reference to S01E19 and Finn's tiny dancing is in fact Cory's signature move :') Have a lovely day!<p>

Noro, sammystump and Supercyke HAI! So awesome to see you enjoying yourself. Hope you'll have fun in this one too!

Bananappancakes, d'aw! Here's hoping that you'll find your own Finn Hudson soon! I mean, it's the New Year so anything's possible! :)

PaochiCute, hi sweetheart! I had forgotten to mention in the previous chapter that I picked out Riverside Park for their date because of the Monchele tweet pictures! Anyway, glad to see you still hanging on to me love. I don't know how you do it because I might have given up by now :')

Mandy-twinkletoes, theluckyclover and Finchel21 HAI HAI HAI! YAY! You guys loved it! It's funny how the clumsiness of the two is the aspect that's making you want to read more! So thank you for that and being so awesome at your kindest words any person could ever hear.


	10. Ch 10 The Broadway Junkie

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so when you're in the room, remember, you are there for a different purpose. Not only are you there to introduce her to new filmmakers, this is going to be your first date with her that can change the rest of your life."<p>

"Okay that just gave me a little chills."

"You need to remember that tonight is going to determine your next step with her. So when you're in the room, be in the room. LISTEN. Don't get freaked out by the fact that she's beside you, or what she looks like in bed. Focus on what she has to say, so that when she has something to say, you can offer your opinion instead of saying 'I like your eyes'."

Artie nodded, making a mental list of things to do and say in his head.

Normally, he would have no problem with events like the one tonight. This was his forte; there was nothing and no one that could distract him from a film. Not unless you were Brittany S. Pierce.

He started to rub his hands together and Finn took a hint.

"Will you be ready for tonight?"

Artie took a deep breath and said. "Brittany has been someone I would never even imagine myself talking to. But you made that happen. Now, not only that, I'm about to go on my first real date with her. I have to do this. If not for me, then at least for you."

Finn smiled and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. You'll do okay."

* * *

><p>"Brittany! Brittany! Over here!" The swamp of reporters flooded the scene when the dancer arrived. Artie was waiting at the curb and opened the door the minute her town car pulled up at the street.<p>

There was a fury of people looking confused when she stepped out to greet him with a peck on the cheek.

Finn smiled when he saw the blush on Artie's face. It looks like lady luck was smiling on him for that special night. Even without doing anything, he was going to get his picture on the front cover of the tabloids.

Artie smiled nervously in attempts to hide his embarrassment.

The blonde strutted towards the entrance. When she turned around, she saw that the man was clobbered with the media. Every single one of them wanted to know her date for the evening and what he did to be so.

However, not being part of the scene before, he was speechless.

Sensing his nervousness, Brittany marched right up to the man and demanded for a clearing.

"The name is Artie Abrams. And he is my date for the night."

Before any of the reporters could question further, she begun wheeling him into the private building.

Finn whipped his iPhone out and texted an encouragement to the man.

When they left the apartment, he felt that Artie had learned everything he needed to know for a first date. However, watching from the sidelines of the evening's pandemonium, he knew the fear in Artie's mind.

"DUDE, YOU CAN DO THIS. JUST REMEMBER TO STAY CALM. YOU'RE THE EXPERT IN THIS EVENT, SO JUST BE YOURSELF. -FINN."

"THANKS. I'LL TRY NOT TO FREAK OUT TOO EASILY LIKE YOU SUGGESTED. -ARTIE."

The tall man looked at the reply and smiled at how much more bravery Artie had as compared to the phone call he made a few hours ago.

"Well, look who I hadn't expected to see."

Looking up, he was all too sure that her voice was a pigment of his imagination. But as he saw the round eyes staring right back at him with a wide grin on her face, he lit up at the reality of her presence.

"Well, this is a surprise." He said lightheartedly. But even with his breezy tone, she knew he was just as happy about this coincidence.

Due to the crowd behind her in hopes of getting the best shot of the celebrities arriving, Rachel was shoved forward. The man leaped, catching her swiftly before the brunette could hit the ground.

"Well if it isn't the prince saving the damsel in distress." She commented with a wink.

"Is it just me or are accidents becoming a regular activity for the both of us?"

She giggled and smoothed the blouse she had one. Tonight, she was dressed in an outfit that was classified between comfortable Rachel and work Rachel. Finn bit his lip and questioned himself how was it possible to adore every single look she bore.

"Rach!" Quinn screamed amidst the crowd, ruining any plans Rachel had in furthering her conversation with Finn.

The giant man saw the same blonde friend squeezing past the group of impatient reporters. She had her arm raised, her the camera in her hands and an annoyed look on her face. Frazzled, she managed to make her way out of the crowd and bend down to catch a breather.

"Finn, I'd like you to meet a colleague of mine. This is Quinn Fabray." Shaking her hand, Rachel continued with the introduction.

"And Quinn, this is Finn Hudson. The one I was telling you about."

He raised his eyebrows at the description and saw Rachel nudge the elbows of her friend.

"The one you were... Oh! The one you were talking about."

Finn had been around women enough to understand the gossip sessions they had. It was some sort of habit that no one from the gender could shirk, as though it was a necessity. Just look at Mrs. Smith and what she did on a regular basis.

Rachel saw the way he looked at her and knew better than to have Quinn question him. After all, the details of the date provided by Rachel made the blonde assume it went horribly.

Then again, Rachel had to question herself. Without a doubt, the first date she shared with Finn Hudson did go terribly. No person under any circumstances would consider going out with the man again. And yet, it all worked out in a good way.

When Quinn had questioned her if she would see him again, she found herself nodding her head without debate. As though the answer was obvious. When interrogated further by Tina, she again, surprised herself saying that it was a charming quality that she had somehow found herself attracted to.

This pleasant run in with Finn reinstated how she felt about him. Not to mention, him flashing his dimples had the power to make her weak in the knees.

"Well, anyway, I wanted to ask if you could head back to the office to develop these for tomorrow. I would do them myself, but you know, tonight's..." She unstrapped the camera off we neck and looked at the tiny girl.

"I know, I know. You and Sam have been going on and on about how important tonight was for the both of you."

"I owe you one!" Giving a quick hug, Quinn Fabray ran off in the opposite direction with the comment "Nice meeting you Finn Hudson!" trailing after her.

He raised his eyebrows at Rachel again and the oddness of the situation.

Laughing awkwardly, Rachel lifted the camera.

"Well, uh, I should get back to work."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous for you though? To be stuck in the office at this hour."

"I'm already used to it." She said with a small smile.

"Well then, at least let me walk you to your building."

"Now aren't you just the gentleman."

He laughed and fell into step with her as they made their way to her destination.

"So do you lie to every man who hits on you at the bar?"

"Excuse me?" She asked, slightly appalled by the accusation.

"Not your team. Ring a bell?" He asked as he looked at her with a twinkle in his eye before straight ahead at the road.

She furrowed her brows in concentration. Then, it dawned upon her.

"Aw man, busted!"

He laughed at her response. "In my opinion, it was pretty much the smartest thing I've ever heard a woman say."

She winced at the compliment. "It's not exactly a flattering thing to hear. But he was bugging me, and all I wanted was to get back to my group of friends."

"And the kiss you planted on uhm, Quinn fits into that how?"

"Hey!" She punched him lightly on the shoulders. "It was the only logical thing to do at that time. And what were you doing eavesdropping on my conversation huh? Trying to uphold your title as a stalker Hudson?"

"Hey," He held up his hands to surrender himself. "I'm just some guy you met at the bar."

She laughed at his reply.

"Which reminds me, exactly what did you tell your friends about me?"

She recalled the way Quinn looked at the man.

"Oh well you know, how incredibly clumsy you were. And how stubborn you were about the whole perseverance thing."

"Well I guess my title's going back to man at the bar instead of the one I dated before."

_But I also said he was incredibly attractive and exceptionally sweet to me._ She smiled with the thought in her head as they continued their walk to her office.

"So, this is me." She remarked as they came to an abrupt halt outside a boring old grayish building.

He looked up at her stop and then down back at her again.

"So, I guess until we meet again." He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded slightly before taking off.

She walked towards the doors of the building but stopped in her tracks. Turning around, his back was hunched and moving further away from her.

"Hudson!" She called, startling the man. "If you haven't got anything to do, you're welcome to keep me company for a while."

For a moment, she regretted her decision in calling him back. But when she saw the way he spun around instantly and the way his beam shined through the miserable dark night, she knew she made the right decision.

"Look what good clumsiness can come out of."

She shook her head and led him in.

* * *

><p>"So this is you huh?" He asked as she flipped the switch on at her cubicle. Nodding, she set everything down on the table and inquired if he needed anything to drink.<p>

"Tea for me. Do you need any help?"

"Sit. If what we've been going through is the norm, I think I'd be better off on my own in the pantry."

He nodded, understanding the odds of an accident befalling upon them if he followed her.

Settling himself down, he took the time to observe his surroundings.

There were the usual elements of an office cubicle: a desktop, some paper trays and a notice board. Right on the corkboard were mundane notes and lists of things she had to complete by a certain date. Following the paper of instructions, his eyes caught sight of the pictures on her wall.

It wasn't a large one, pretty much just the partition that divided her and the person opposite her. But Rachel had decorated it with ticket stubs and pictures of her life.

A half smile drawled on his face at the insider information he had of her. As his eyes flowed through the happy and wild moments of Rachel Berry, he caught sight of one that had her, an Asian girl and Quinn. It wasn't particularly a good picture, but the one she had seemed the happiest among the rest.

Staring at it for a while longer before his eyes lingered away, an object on her table made his grin grew wider with glee.

It was a tiny white pot with tiny gold stars surrounding the rim. Soil was tucked neatly into its vessel and the branch, which stood upright in its place, was firm. He inferred that she had diligently watered the plant every day with the looks of the flower blooming at its end. He took pride in the wild guess he made on the first date at the Hudson River.

"Here you go." She voiced out from his back, interrupting his thoughts. He spun around to come face to face with the brunette.

Cautiously handing him the mug, she swiveled Quinn's chair from the table located west of her cubicle and sat herself down.

"Anything boring you yet?" She asked as she sipped carefully into her hot mug of tea.

He smiled as he sat down the cup on her table. "You look like you're really content with your life right now."

A pair glistening eyes looked up at his comment and he smiled warmly.

"Well, I should get started on developing those photos. So uhm, do entertain yourself with whatever you can. I'll try to get my work done then we can leave. Or you can leave anytime you want. I mean you don't need to stay or anything."

He chuckled at how she seemed to be the nervous one in tonight's situation.

"Rachel, assert yourself."

She had to knock her head on the wall for being too chatty. She only had that habit when she was with her friends and family. Rachel wasn't one to be blabbering on the second encounter with a man as close as a stranger.

"Work's been getting a little crazy sometimes."

"Turn around."

"Huh?"

He rotated the chair she was in and cleared his throat.

"Finn... What are you..."

Without warning, he had laid his palms on her shoulders and rubbed the collarbone gently in a circular motion. Gently pressing into the bone supporting her head, he squeezed her neck.

"So this is how you earn back your respect huh? Giving massages to your dates."

He chuckled at her answer. "Believe it or not, the only other woman who received a massage from me was my mom."

After a couple of minutes, the brunette felt a whole lot better than before. She smiled, grateful for his rescue.

"Thanks Finn."

"That makes up for embarrassing myself in front of you at the Swing-A-Ring. I still have to think of ways in which I'll need you to forgive me for ramming the oar in your face."

She giggled at memory. Then, she got up and went about her motive for working at this hour.

* * *

><p>Rachel had just gotten back from the printing room and made her way back towards her cubicle. She saw that he had his earphones plugged into his ears and was slouched in her seat.<p>

When her eyes drifted to her table, she had to cover her mouth from the 'mess' he made. Stifling a giggle, she eyed his masterpiece.

Using the pens on her table, he had made a tiny fort, housing his phone, keys and wallet. There were the remaining stationaries like hole punchers and staplers that he was using to form a manual pinball machine with an eraser.

_Another time, another place_  
><em>The words would only rhyme<em>  
><em>We'd be in outer space<em>  
><em>It'd be another song<em>

Instead of continuing with the laughs, her mouth had now dropped open with bewilderment. Who knew Finn Hudson was a Broadway junkie like she was?

_We'd sing another way_  
><em>You wanna prove me wrong<em>  
><em>Come back another day<em>  
><em>Another day<em>

She stood behind him and the man was still oblivious to her presence.

_There's only yes_  
><em>Only tonight<em>  
><em>We must let go<em>  
><em>To know what's right<em>  
><em>No other course<em>  
><em>No other way<em>  
><em>No day but today<em>

Her eyes lit up at his voice. It was the most raw sound she had ever heard and it astounded her of how his husky tone was all so different and yet still sounding like the Finn she knew. Or did she? Her lips turned up into a half smile and when he belted out the lyrics, it extended further.

_I can't control my destiny_  
><em>I trust my soul<em>  
><em>My only goal is just to be<em>  
><em>There's only now<em>  
><em>There's only here<em>  
><em>Give in to love<em>  
><em>Or live in fear<em>  
><em>No other path, no other way<em>  
><em>No day but today<em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 10 is here! It's been a while since I've uploaded 2 chapters in a day, but as I have said, writing out some Finchel has been an addiction for me, which is why the second I submitte the previous chapter, I got straight to work with this one! The song at the end is titled "Another Day" from the Broadway musical, RENT. Apparently Lea Michele have caught Cory Monteith singing this song to himself, which is why I thought it'd be funny to add it in here! Stay amazingly awesome! And to all who's reading this and in the same time zone as me, have a lovely evening! :')<p>

Mandy-twinkletoes, hi sweetheart! You are just too adorable for words! And how can someone so cute could be so generous with her words as well? I mean, really? Thank you for the constant compliment my dear, you have brighten my day.

Melly233, noro and bananappancakes AHHHH! You guys are so awesome for pushing me on! Well, because of that, here's a longer Finchel chapter and hope that you'll love it! Looks like my updates are becoming regular again so crossing my fingers that I can get the new one pumped out really soon! Have a lovely day in wherever you may be :)

Laylita83, hello darling! You certainly have been missed very dearly! And can I just say that I adore your crazily long review? Just love it! And with concerns to Artie's knee, that's a puzzle for me to. I'm assuming that he would be able to feel them anyhow? Possibly a slight pain I guess? I haven't got any real life references to compare it with, but will promise to research more before inserting these little details in. Anyhow, you are amazing and I'm welcoming you back with open arms :')

PaochiCute, you see, it's the things you say like in the precious review of yours that keeps me feeling as though you're too much for me. I swear baby doll, you are just so wonderful for listing such amazing things that I don't even feel I live up to. I love you. I know I don't mention it enough, but I love you for being so supportive. And I've just purchased my own copy of the Glee live DVD, making me feel the urge to add in an Artie number. There'll be more to come so I hope you're excited :)

Edurrant0404, AH! You're new to reviewing this story do can I just give you a HUGE WELCOME HUG? Come here you! You are just the sweetest to be telling me that you love this story! I hope that the following chapters wouldn't disappoint! Keep reading and I'll promise to deliver as least half of the expectations you have!


	11. Ch 11 The Tingling Sensation

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>Finn hummed the melody and tapped his fingers to the beat of the tune. Getting into the song, he grabbed two pens from his masterpiece and whacked it against the table and drummed it away.<p>

Rachel was impressed at his perfect beat. Of course, RENT was one of her favorite musicals, so she knew the songs inside out. Who was she kidding, Finn was an epic drummer whether he realized it or not.

Slowly though, his enthusiasm died down and it only meant that the song was coming to an end. Realizing that she had been spying on him longer than deemed healthy, she casually strolled past him

His eyes widened at her movement. Removing his earphones, he wondered if she heard the one man show he had put on. Finn wasn't open about his singing, a self-preservation thing. It was an activity conducted only when he was sure the coast was clear.

Clearing his throat, he sat upright. She eyed the mess on her desk and he flushed with embarrassment.

"Hey, so uh, I had to you know, entertain myself."

"Evidently you had a ball of a time."

He rubbed his neck nervously and then asked softly,

"You didn't happen to you know, hear anything did you?"

"Was I meant to?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Not at all. Nothing, really." He weaved a sigh of relief and begun clearing her desk, putting the stationaries back to its former positions.

Rachel sneaked a grin and sat at Quinn's cubicle to have a final look through at the pictures developed.

_My body's talking to me_  
><em>It says, 'Time for danger'<em>

His eyes widened from her soft voice echoing through the office. He dropped the pen in his hand and turned cautiously towards her.

When she saw the awestruck facial expression, she sang with more confidence at a louder volume. He stayed frozen in his seat and she took a chance to catwalk her way towards him.

_It says, 'I wanna commit a crime_  
><em>Wanna be the cause of a fight<em>  
><em>Wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt<em>  
><em>With a stranger'<em>

_I've had a knack from way back_  
><em>At breaking the rules once I learn the game<em>  
><em>Get up, life's too quick<em>  
><em>I know some place sick<em>  
><em>We're this chick'll dance it the flames<em>  
><em>We don't need any money<em>  
><em>I always get in for free<em>  
><em>You can get in too<em>  
><em>If you get in with me<em>

_Let's go out tonight_  
><em>I have to go out tonight<em>  
><em>You wanna play?<em>  
><em>Let's run away<em>  
><em>We won't be back before its New Years Day<em>  
><em>Take me out tonight<em>

It was unbelievable, as though impossible for someone to sound that amazing. Nobody that attractive could sound as good as she did. And yet, for her, the voice from her soul was a perfect match to how astonishing Rachel Berry already was.

A smirk appeared on his face but even the shocking talent he just discovered about her couldn't be overshadowed by his pride.

"Look who's eavesdropping now."

"I couldn't help it if you were singing at the top of your lungs. Although I'd have to say, you were quite the drummer Hudson."

This was something that he took pride in. Finn had an obsession about drumming. It was the thing he did best and was proud of his mad skills. Still, a compliment from her made him a little uneasy, but in a delightful way.

"I'd say. You did a pretty good job yourself there, Broadway."

It was her turn to blush from his flattery. "I did join my high school glee club when I was younger. It was my favorite class; the one I looked forward to every week."

"With a voice like that, I wouldn't be surprised if your school won the championships."

"Well, you know, that was all high school. And if I should say so myself, who knew Mr. Macho Hudson was a Broadway junkie like I was?"

She winked at him flirtatiously and he had to turn away from her eyes.

"Now do you see why I was hoping you weren't around?"

She giggled and he continued.

"It's not exactly something I'd share with anybody else. I mean, it isn't the sort of thing a girl might be interested in a guy. I just lucked out with you because you're Broadway yourself. Other girls might actually question my sexuality for knowing every single song on the RENT soundtrack."

She smiled at his honesty. "Should I be questioning then?"

"Hey!" He retorted and she went back to looking at her work in her hands.

"Do you need help with anything?" Getting up, he walked over to her seat and leaned forward to get a closer look.

She could feel his breath on her neck, which made her squirm uncomfortably from the close contact. Unknowingly she took a whiff of his aftershave and found herself tingling from the sensation that is Finn Hudson.

Gulping, she kept her cool. "I'll be done in a while. Hey, why don't you sing another one of your favorites? It'll keep me entertained for a while."

"After hearing what you've got? No way, nuh-uh."

"Aw come on, you sounded really good!"

"Not Rachel Berry good."

"Come on, for me?" She batted her eyelashes at him and he had to smile from the adorableness of the tiny brunette.

"Only if we take turns."

"Deal!"

* * *

><p>Instead of staying for an hour like she planned, Rachel ended up leaving the office with her impromptu date 3 hours later.<p>

"Well, you're definitely the hardest worker I've known." He commented as she bends down to lock the glass doors of the office.

She stood up and came up to his chest.

"I would have been able to leave 2 hours ago if someone hadn't insisted on distracting me from my work."

"I got a free show out of it all. I'm not even going to apologize for having an awesome life-like Broadway experience."

She smiled at his compliment and the pair walked towards the elevator.

"But truth be told, if this is your working schedule, I'd have to apologize for the date we had. I mean, you getting up at 3AM to meet some jerk at the park because he demanded so, props to you Berry."

"Recognized!"

Chuckling at her response, he continued. "Hey, at least you got a good story out of it huh?"

"Just make it 10AM at the next date alright Hudson?"

His eyes shot up with energy. "You serious Berry? Cause it looks like I've been nothing but a hindrance."

"Finn, you worry too much. I did have a good time, and there's nothing wrong with that. Tonight was somewhat peaceful. Proves that we can enjoy ourselves as long as we keep away from dangerous items, like oars."

This. This aspect of her, right there. He liked that Rachel Berry took pleasure in the little things that matter like having a good time. He has seen so many women looking for their perfect man, and their suitors would have no boundaries in spoiling them. Rachel Berry wasn't like them, and he enjoyed that about her.

The tiny brunette sneaked a glance at him. Since the last time she had seen him, he had a scruff on his stubble, rocking the grungy look. Come to think of it, he did look very much like a musician. In fact, from the numbers that they had sung together, she had to admit, they make a pretty good team.

"So," He started, interrupting her thoughts about him.

"Are you heading home?"

"Yeah, I have this speed dating thing to go to tomorrow. I mean, to support a friend, so you know."

"Would I sound too possessive if I said I was a little jealous?" He asked in a careless whisper and she wasn't sure if his question had intended to be heard.

"Finn?"

He looked at her and gave a small smile. "Let me get you a cab. Its the least I could do."

She was in a way, relieved that he had changed the subject so readily. In her defense, she just wasn't sure as to how she should have reacted if he'd expected a reply out of her.

Stepping out of the building, the night breeze hit her face, washing them both with reality.

Whistling for a cab, the yellow vehicle braked at the pavement. A rush of deja vu came upon the brunette and she looked up at the man.

"Will I see you soon Rach?"

He wasn't sure what came over him after hearing her plans for the next day. Was he already hooked on the tiny brunette? Why had she such an effect on him? Was the feeling mutual? A million questions popped up in his head and he was puzzled by the way he felt about her.

But for one thing he was certain of. Just like she said, they enjoyed the company of each other. He wanted more of her.

Her grin increased his spirits.

"It wouldn't be a coincidental run-in now would it?" She added teasingly. When he smiled, she continued.

"Just make sure it isn't going to happen at 4 in the morning alright Hudson? I'd like to be on my best mood when it comes to spending time with you."

His heart soared at the answer and he found himself anticipating the next date despite the uncertainty of everything.

The cab driver cleared his throat for attention and the brunette apologized for the delay.

She gave him one last look and squeezed his hand. "Call me."

At the tip of her toes, she stretched herself as tall as she could to deliver a fast goodbye peck.

Watching the vehicle, that carried the girl who made his day, driving away, he gently graced the spot she had last made contact with. The circle burned with embarrassment and he caught himself with a strange bubbling stir in his stomach.

"Aw crap."

* * *

><p>Chapter 11 is here! And while it's shorter than the previous one, I hope that all of you are still enjoying how the rest of the night went! It just warms my heart that all of you are receiving this so wonderfully well. So, VIRTUAL HUGS TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE READING THIS RIGHT NOW! (And a million sloppy kisses too!) The song's Out Tonight from the RENT soundtrack as well! :)<p>

Bananappancakes, Finchel21, Supercyke, Melly233 and noro HAI HAI HAI! I swear all of you are so damn awesome! I think I don't thank you enough but just know that each one of you is very dear to me. Thank you for being the amazing and flawless reviewer that you are. This is all too much for someone like me. Much love from me to you! :')

Mandy-twinkletoes, because honey, what you're doing is an awesome thing! I mean the power you hold to brighten my day is amazing! And you are so much love! Another Day is definitely one of my favorites as well! Super glad to see you enjoying this so far sweetheart!

PaochiCute, d'aw aren't you're sweeeet! Lea most definitely have influenced Cory in the whole Broadway thing, although it has been said in some interview that he had the RENT soundtrack with him as he drove to Los Angeles, so I guess his love for that particular musical goes way back! But anyhow, you are adorable my dear. Sending out a 10 seconds virtual embrace right now :')

Taralynnn x, FinchelFever33, jellybeangirl9792, Monroe-street, AWESOMEME67 and kezztip OMGOSH! This is the first time I've had so many new reviewers for a chapter and am wishing so very much that I could be right there with you to give you a GIGANTIC EMBRACE for being just too damn awesome! WELCOME! I'm pretty sure you've stumbled upon this by accident and really racking my brains as to how you managed to read through all the chapters so far. But wow, just wow! Thank you so much for the love, it is incredible! Stick with me, and I'd definitely try to deliver the rest of it as best as I can! Stay Beautiful! :')


	12. Ch 12 The Unexplainable Excitement

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>Rachel turned to look at him through the glass window the minute she got in.<p>

She saw his finger brushing on the face she had last laid her lips on. The sight of him became blurry so she wasn't certain. However, there was the glimmer of a smile, which dissolved between his cheeks.

Slowly, she rotated her body back to its initial bearings. Glancing down at the fingers on her laps, it had gotten damp, much to her ignorance about its exact commencement.

Fingering the outline of her mouth, her lips began to stretch and she allowed her hand to trace it over again. Then, her phone rang, startling the girl from her thoughts.

The man who had been responsible for her wondering mind had called and in that moment, she understood the true meaning of telepathy.

"This isn't too soon is it?"

"Not at all. Waiting for a couple of days before calling is definitely overrated."

"Exactly. So Berry, think I could take you out on Sunday?"

"This isn't going to be another one of your crazy morning schemes is it?"

He chuckled at her reply. "I got the memo Rach. It's going to be after 10 just like you instructed."

She had to smile at his adorable response. "Well, if that's the case, I'll see you on Sunday then. Anything I should prep myself for Hudson?"

"I'll let you know. But don't worry, we'd be far from oars if that's what you're concerned about."

Giggling, she bid her goodbye.

"Night Rach."

When she hung up from his call, the taxi driver had pulled up on her street. After paying the man, she alighted and looked beyond the quiet path in front of her.

Instead of heading straight up to her apartment as she usually did after every hectic night, Rachel Berry took a seat on the steps of the building. Occasional cars drove by, one in approximately every 10 seconds. The dim streetlights shone, carving her shadow ahead of the girl.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the night air she never really appreciated before opening up into the vision of the sky.

The moon was hidden from the clouds in motion, only revealing itself for a fast moment. There was however, a splash of the natural twinkling lights against the velvet black surrounding.

And Rachel Berry grinned at her lucky stars. For she realized that she wasn't the only one already excited for their next meeting.

Whispering into the stillness of the night prior to picking herself up,

"Sunday, get here already."

* * *

><p>"Why do you have this freaky overly expanded smile on your face?" Tina asked with a pair of raised eyebrows and somewhat mortified by the overexposure of teeth from the tiny brunette.<p>

She thought back about the morning.

Receiving a morning text reply from Finn uplifted her spirits in ways she couldn't make sense of. But it wasn't bad if she found herself smiling like a lovesick teenage girl because well, would it ever be?

Falling asleep with a beam on her face and waking up to the same reason that brought the brunette to her fantasies was evidently changing Rachel Berry. And she couldn't wipe away the happy mood. Not when she knew she'd be seeing him again in less than 24 hours.

"It's not about some guy is it?"

"Hmm?" Her mind was in another world that wasn't her reality.

"Rachel!" Tina shook her shoulders and attempted to swing her back down to earth. Once she caught the soul of the girl in her eyes, she released Rachel.

"Please tell me this isn't about a guy." However, when she saw the sheepish look on her friend, her jaw dropped.

"OH. MY. GOD. It's that dork you went on a date with last Sunday isn't it?"

Again, the girl looked at her meekly.

"He was sweet Tin, and ever the charming gentleman. Last night, he did this adorable performance of RENT and it was just so..."

"Wow, a Broadway junkie who isn't gay. Looks like you've got yourself a keeper Rach."

"I just might."

"Rachel Berry, do you mean to tell me that someone has melted the wicked witch of oz?"

Rolling her eyes at the over-dramatized metaphor, Rachel looked at her. "Who said anything about that? This is the fun part of dating that I was talking about."

"You sure Rach? Because in my opinion, you look like you're falling for him sweetheart."

"That's crazy."

"Oh is it?" The pair of girls walked forward to the row of tables and sat down in their assigned seats beside each other.

"I think I know the feeling of love Tina. And I am not falling in love with Finn Hudson. That's ridiculous. I could never like someone so readily. I have self-control Tin. I just couldn't help it if his goofy jokes are hilarious. Finn is the balance of fun and serious, so I guess he is sort of a package deal. But come on Finn?"

Tina pursed her lips and smirk. "Oh yes, Rachel. Mentioning his name thrice isn't anything too serious."

"I like hanging out with him okay. Any inference about anything else beyond that is just absurd."

"You know how every time you're in a hurry and you can't get a cab but when you're not in need of one, it's everywhere? Or like the rain comes on days you want to get out and the sun when you've planned to stay in?"

"Yeah..." Rachel replied warily, unsure of where this was going.

"It's the same thing. That's how relationships start Rachel. Just when you're convinced you're okay with love, it'll sneak up your back and find you."

Before she could rebut her argument, the host for the night's speed dating cleared her throat and Rachel came face to face with a stubby man.

The bald patch on the top of his head was enough to know he was very much older than she was. He smacked his lips against each other and Rachel had to look away from the repulsive sight. When the bell sounded and the brunette had no choice otherwise, he attempted a pathetic wink.

Rachel Berry turned to Tina Cohen-Chang for help. To no avail, the Asian girl was already deeply engrossed in a conversation with the man positioned across her.

Sighing, she found herself picturing Finn's dimpled grin and her heart skipped a beat. She gulped at the feeling inside of her. What if Tina was right?

* * *

><p><strong>"S.O.S! –RACHEL."<strong>

He looked down at his screen and grinned. Was it horrible of him having his wish come true? He didn't want her to be unhappy, but Finn found joy in her misery. It wasn't that he hoped she would be. It's just that he wished he could be with her right now.

Quoting a song from the soundtrack they had a ball of a time with from the previous night, he texted his reply.

**"JUST TIGHTEN THOSE SHOULDERS. JUST CLENCH YOUR JAW TILL YOU FROWN. JUST DON'T LET GO OR YOU MAY DROWN. -FINN."**

**"SHUT UP. -RACH."**

Finn had to laugh out loud at her reply. This made Rory Flanagan look at him with puzzlement.

"Are you alright Finn?"

This made the giant man tear his eyes away from his phone for the first time that night. Suddenly remembering he wasn't alone in his home, Finn looked at him apologetically.

"What is up with you tonight?"

"Nothing." Finn wasn't sure how he should have responded. But, when Rory took one look at the pink blush glowing on his friend's cheeks and knew there was something more.

"Come on."

"A girl alright? But let's not make a big deal out of it."

Throwing his head back in laughter, Rory saw the streak reddening. Finn rolled his eyes at the expected response and sipped into his glass.

Then, his phone vibrated with an incoming message and Rory shook his head at how fast Finn's fingers moved towards his sacred item.

**"AW FINN, IT'S TERRIBLE HERE. DO PROMISE ME WE'LL HAVE A GOOD TIME TOMORROW. I NEED SOMETHING TO CHEER ME UP FROM THIS MISERY. -RACH."**

Rory patted his friend when he saw a grin.

This time, the giant man let his guard down and Rory knew the girl was doing things to him in ways Finn never knew was possible. However, to prove that he was entering into a zone he had spent his whole life avoiding, he needed to test himself.

Settling his phone down after a final reply, he walked over to the couch where Rory was settled. Keeping himself busy with video games was going to be his distraction. But if he hadn't managed to block her from his mind, he knew that he had to face up to it.

* * *

><p>"Well, that was fun wasn't it?" Tina asked cheerily as Rachel held the doors for them.<p>

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Didn't you have a good time Rach?"

"Come to think of it, having men drool over you does give me this wonderful adrenaline rush. It was wonderful wasn't it?" The brunette spat out sarcastically.

"Hey, you managed to snag yourself a couple of numbers. And come one, not all of them were horrible. That tailor man for business suits looked pretty cute."

Standing at the edge of the pavement, Tina raised her hand for a cab. When one pulled up in front, she looked at the brunette.

"You coming Rach?"

"That's okay, I think I'll walk home. I need to get the past hour out of my head."

"You're too much of a drama queen. Well, I'll see you next week then."

Nodding, the girls gave each other an embrace and the yellow vehicle drove off.

Taking tiny steps on the pavement, Rachel Berry looked up at the night sky; a habit that she had recently cultivated since her first date with Finn.

He had opened her up to a city, which she had always been living in, but never adored in such an extraordinary manner. She had started to acknowledge the beauty of nature, something that was paradoxical in the bustling New York City. And yet somehow, in the peculiarity of it all, Rachel Berry found herself, wondering how she could ever think it was improbable.

* * *

><p>Her iPod was blasting a dance number and she found herself moving uncontrollably to the beat. Rachel Berry pranced towards the other side of the room after her bath whilst brushing her hair. She missed singing, and being with Finn the previous night reminded of how much fun she had when she did.<p>

Tonight, at the 30 minutes before her sleep, Sara Bareilles' 'One Sweet Love' came on and she smiled at shuffled track. When the strumming of the guitar merged in the room, she hummed to the melody. By the first minute in the song, she had used the hairbrush as a microphone and was singing her little heart out.

_Sleepless nights you creep inside of me_  
><em>Paint your shadows on the breath that we share<em>  
><em>You take more than just my sanity<em>  
><em>You take my reason not to care<em>  
><em>No ordinary wings I'll need<em>  
><em>The sky itself will carry me back to you<em>  
><em>The things I dream that I can do I'll open up<em>  
><em>The moon for you<em>  
><em>Just come down soon<em>

With intentions of setting her alarm for the next morning, Rachel dove for her phone that was thrown in the middle of her comforter.

_The time that I've taken_  
><em>I pray is not wasted<em>  
><em>Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love?<em>

The light came on and a notification was alerted. Seeing the sender's name, she realized she must have missed his message. Still crooning to the ballad, she started to smile in her song as she waited for the page to load.

_The earth that is the space between_  
><em>I'd banish it from under me, to get to you<em>  
><em>Your unexpected love provides my solitary's suicide<em>  
><em>Oh I wish you knew<em>

_The time that I've taken_  
><em>I pray is…<em>

She stopped short there. Because his message, as usual for anything remotely related to the man that is Finn Hudson, made the ends of her hair stand and her heart pound hard against her chest.

**"DON'T WORRY RACH. IT'S US. WE'RE GUARANTEED TO HAVE AN AMAZING DAY. OR AT LEAST I KNOW I WILL CAUSE I'D BE WITH YOU. SEE YOU TOMORROW. -FINN.**"

And that was the night Rachel Berry fell asleep with her troubles shedding away. Because, despite the hectic day she had, she couldn't stop smiling into the night. It hurt so much she started to feel the muscles tighten at her jaw. But it didn't bother her. She knew that when she opened her eyes again to the reality of tomorrow, she'd be with him.

* * *

><p>"If it isn't my sunshine after the rain." He grinned his boyish beam at her.<p>

She opened her right arm and he bend down to deliver a welcome embrace.

"Good morning Rach." He whispered into her hair before releasing her.

"Glad to see you finally understanding my meaning of good." A Starbucks cup was in her hands and if it was possible, her smile was brighter than the one on his face.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and they started walking away from their meeting point.

"How'd you sleep?" He inquired.

"Splendidly. You?"

"Not a wink. Not when I knew I was gonna see you."

She had to look away. All of this was happening so quickly. And the funny thing of it all, instead of how she'd be nauseated by the sweet nothings whispered by couples, she found an excitement in the words he said.

Was it the fact that he had so readily opened himself up to her? Was it frankness of everything?

When she looked up at him, he had a goofy grin plastered on his face. And she questioned herself what was wrong with all of this. Quinn's found love and Tina was resilient in her search. Should she start opening herself up the possibilities of it?

They came to a stop at a building and Finn looked at her.

"Brought those socks Rach?"

She nodded her head. Then, he swung open the door and led her in.

"You're always so stressed up about work, I just thought maybe you should loosen up."

"Well if it isn't Mr. Hudson and his antics. But you should know that I've never done this before."

She was brought up into a wide room with the horrible jingling sounds like a pinball machine. The place was tacky, and yet kind of cool in a dorky kind of way. She smiled because it had Finn written at every bit of the space.

Walking over to the counter, he nodded at the man behind it. She wasn't even sure if a place like this was open for business this early. But when there were a couple of people on the last aisle, she brushed off the worry.

Switching over the black ballet flats she had on, Finn brought them to the first aisle.

"Do I have to put my fingers in the hole? Could there be diseases in there or something?"

"Aw come on, ball sharing is all part of the fun. Use the pink one. Pink's your favorite color right?" He lifted the neon pink ball and it came under her chin.

Shaking her head at his somewhat accurate assumption, she dug her fingers in.

"Now what?" She looked up at him and he was sure her puppy dog eyes were the most adorable things he had seen.

"Follow my lead."

Smiling gently, he guided her closer to the aisle. "Okay, so." His fingers came up to her shoulders and she swallowed at the contact. Looking up at his explanation, she watched his mouth moved with the words. Somehow, she still managed to catch the drift of the game.

"You just look at the pins, nice and straight."

She dropped her ball immediately, and nearly shrieked from the impact on the ground. It rolled straight for a second before leading it's way up the gutter.

"Are you sure this is your first time?" He asked from the back of her head.

She turned around and nudged him at his waist. Laughing, he went back to retrieve a ball suited for him. Winking to the brunette, he said.

"Watch and learn Berry."

"Well if it's going to be like the last time, I'm sure it's going to be an eye opening experience."

When he released the ball, it rolled off gracefully from his fingers in a straight line, finally crashing into the pins at the end.

Applauding for him, Rachel smirked at his victory, knocking down all ten pins for a strike. Finn was proud of his lucky shot. He was an old pro when it came to bowling. But when Rachel was around, he wasn't sure if he'd mess this up.

After the night before, when he'd gotten himself to bed, he laid awake. Distracting himself with video games was proof that he couldn't keep his mind off her. Rory sensed his lack of focus and pulled a fast one on him. Finally, towards the end of the gaming session, Finn managed to defeat him on the last round. Reason being, Rory had changed Finn's character name to Rachel B. and the poor man was trying his best to keep 'her' safe.

"I told you I could do this." He said confidently as they waited for the new set of pins to be dropped.

"This coming from the man who couldn't swing? You can't blame me for my doubts Hudson. What if you had cramps in your fingers?"

Hearing her reply, he tackled her at her waist. Giggling from his contact, her fingers wrapped themselves around his.

"Finn!" She screamed, earning another round of tickling.

It was payback time, and she knew she asked for it. She was dying in hysterics from the way he played with her. But, she wasn't sorry. This was the closest she had gotten to him for more than 5 seconds and she simply adored the way she fitted nicely into his chest. She never wanted him to let go.

And neither did he.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12 and you can say that it's just all-so Finchel-y! Crossing my fingers that my delayed update was worth the wait! I've had a wonderful night writing this up and I'm hoping you'd enjoy reading this up too! For the Sara Bareilles' song, it just came on in my iTunes as I was writing this up, and I just couldn't help but insert it in! It's a beautiful song and do have a listen if you haven't before :') Remaking the Finchel date from S01E05 :') Enjoy beautiful reader you!<p>

PS, omgosh you guys, I'm only into the 12th chapter and already so close to the 100th mark. How do all of you have that much love for me? I just can't even with you guys.

Finchel21, HELLO LOVE! Before I start thanking you, let me give you a hug! For being so wonderful already! And this chapter's another one with some Finchel lovin' so I hope you're enjoying this! I wouldn't know if this would be a disappointment, but I wasn't really planning for a whole lot of drama for this story as compared to the others I've written! It definitely means there'd be more sweet Finchel though so stay tuned! :)

Bananappancakes, PerfectFinchel, sweetsinger4321, taralynnn x, Melly233, noro, jellybeangirl9792 and PaochiCute HAI HAI HAI! All of you are just the sweetest! Thank you for enjoying the story so far, it definitely warms my heart that you're loving this! All of you are just so dear to me and I just can't think of any other way to express my gratitude but update as soon as I get the chance. Stay wonderful, you already are to me :')

Mandy-twinkletoes, d'aw honey you are so precious! I'm sorry there wasn't any Finchel kiss in this one, but hope that you'd still love it though! Definitely found myself putting the RENT soundtrack on repeats for the past couple of days! ;)


	13. Ch 13 The Accidental Peck

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>The cheesy music started to fade slowly into the background. As the morning danced into the afternoon, the bowling alley remained empty with patrons. Rachel Berry was in a way, glad that it stayed bare. It made her second date with Finn seem more private, as though the day belonged to them.<p>

They had ordered pizza for lunch and were seated at a table nearby. It was greasy and bland for her liking, so she talked into the spaces between them most of the time.

"You have no idea how horrible some of the men were!" She exclaimed before sipping into her diet Coke.

He tried to hide a laugh. "How so?"

"They were horrible! The first guy had a bald patch here." She raised her left hand and dragged it across the center of her head to demonstrate her words. "The way he was looking at me; I thought he wanted to eat me up. Not in the flattering way. He was sweating all over I was so grossed out. That probably was the longest five minutes of my life."

This time, a snort escaped his nose and he choked back from the soda. His cheeks started to heat up, yet wasn't surprised that something this embarrassing was bound to happen in her presence.

Rachel, however, noticed his little predicament. She used the scrunched up serviette in her palm and flipped it over for a clean side. Reaching over so naturally, she laughed at his childlike expression, as though he was a five-year-old waiting for his mom to clean up after him.

"Look at you." She wiped the splashes off his face. "Seriously Finny." He looked down to cover his embarrassment for coming off like a toddler. Not noticing how her nickname for him had impacted the man, she settled herself back into her seat and started talking again.

"Anyway, I was saying. The men from last night made it seem as though all the singles left are sloppy seconds."

He had to raise his head for this comment. "Does that mean I'm a sloppy second?"

She swallowed, only registering now that she may have offended her date. "Oh, no. No, no, no." This made her inch herself forward again. Placing a hand tenderly on his wrist, she said,

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. If it was anything, it made me wish I could be with you."

"Yeah?" He asked, his puppy dog eyes filled with hope made her heart swoon with endearment.

"Absolutely."

When he had gone back to munching on his half-eaten slice of pizza, satisfied with her answer, she watched him. He was a pretty messy eater, with bits of marinara sauce at the ends of his mouth every time he bit into his food. In her norm, she should have been turned off by the way he looked. Instead, she found pleasure in cleaning up after his untidiness once in a while. Was there an explanation for this change in behavior?

"Have you ever had any horrible dates like I did?" She asked, after cleaning up his chin again.

Finn never had this problem with women. Or at least, not until he met Rachel Berry. One amusement though, was that he didn't care. He didn't care that she had to look after him. He didn't care that he looked all messy in front of her. In fact, he welcomed every little contact she made with him. He thanked her sheepishly for the countless time, earning a gentle welcome nod.

"Well not really."

"Look who's all so clever in picking out the right women."

"I wasn't all like that. Believe it or not, I was this huge dork in high school."

She dropped her jaw and feigned shock. "Coming from the man who performed terribly on his first date, no way! I actually find that hard to believe!"

He narrowed his eyes and curled his fingers before moving forward. When she realized the danger she had put herself in, she screamed her apologies and he leaned back in his seat, much to Rachel's relief. He smiled with delight. Not only due because he had the upper hand, but also the fact that there were many things Rachel didn't know about.

He had a pair of thick-rimmed tortoise shell glasses that covered half of his face. Being alone most of the time, Finn spent his high school days stuck in the computer lab, toggling with whatever equipment was in there. Either that, or he was usually found in the library with his head buried in some encyclopedia. He loved reading about anything under the sun, but also because of that, he was known as this huge geek.

He was also much taller than most of the people his age. When you're in the late 20s like he was now, being tall wasn't a big deal. But if you were in high school, when his growth spurt surpassed the rest of his peers, he tended to get picked on. A LOT. Frankenteen, the dopey one who needed lotion to wipe off those knuckles he'd been dragging on the ground, the one who looked like a taco addict who had too many back alley liposuctions. The list of jokes and nicknames were endless. Being the one that stood out from the crowd wasn't an issue with him, but a big deal for any teenager trying to fit in. He didn't have much friends considering that 90% of the student body cared about their image and he didn't make the popular group cut.

But wow. Santana Lopez. That was a name he hadn't thought of in a long time. She was new in school, and he was the first person she talked to. He still remembered how he spaced out when she was asking for directions to the auditorium. It was his first serious relationship. His first relationship, actually. And the only one to this date that he was willing to put himself out there.

Reminiscing about his past, his eyes started to dilate with recollection.

_It was the night after. She had asked him to wait for her by the library door at 4pm. When she didn't arrive after 5 hours, he started to worry. The rain was pouring, like in those clichéd predictable romantic films. He walked out of school, hugging his books close to his chest because his bag pack was already filled with the other stack. Crossing the car park to his vehicle, he saw one car with its headlights switched on. Walking closer to it, there she was; making out with the most popular guy in school._

_He banged against the window profusely and saw her partner looking at him strangely. She didn't bother to look again after the first glance. He was yelling and looking very much like a sad soul in the crazy weather. She didn't care._

_Finally, she had no choice but to wind down the window just so that she could carry on with the man beside her if he'd leave._

_"What do you want Finn?"_

_"What is going on?"_

_"I'm sorry Finn, but you're terrible in bed. It was like being smothered by a sweaty, out of breath sack of potatoes that somebody soaked in body spray."_

_"Look Santana, you're my first. That means something to me. You mean something to me. I'm sorry if I couldn't you know, perform well enough but can't we try and work this out? Tell me, just tell me how to become better or something!"_

_"Dude, you don't ask a girl for tips." The boy beside her said snidely. Then he turned to look at Santana, "How did this gay guy even get a hot chick like you?"_

_"I pitied him alright. I wanted a younger, inferior man to get it out of my system and everything about him screams virgin. He's about as sexy as a Cabbage Patch kid. It was exhausting to look at him."_

_"Wh—"_

_The teenage boy in the driver seat smirked at Finn upon hearing Santana's response._

"Finn?" Rachel's voice shook him out of his nostalgic. "Are you okay? You seem out of sorts."

He forced the memory out of his head. Santana Lopez was responsible for his depressed plight in the third year of high school. When Finn Hudson graduated, he swore he would do anything to ensure it wouldn't happen again, explaining the reason for his current job. An optimistic way of looking at it, she made him grow. Despite growing into the man that resented relationships for himself, he grew into one that had the courage to talk to women. Especially women like Rachel Berry.

Smiling at the brunette, he said. "I'm fine. Now quit stalling and get up there. It's your turn Berry, don't think you can find your way out of this."

She narrowed her eyes at him and pouted. "Hey, I'm only as good as my teacher is."

He looked at her in slight shock. "Oh really?"

She stood up and said firmly. "Let me show you how it's done."

"That I'd like to see." He replied teasingly, following her footsteps back to the aisle.

When she stood at the edge of the lane, she held up the same neon pink ball to her face. Squeezing her eyes shut, she wished with all her might.

Finn had his hands on his hips, and was watching her every move. He saw her kiss the ball before releasing it from her grip. It started off from the right, but slowly swiveled towards the center. He held his breath for her.

She saw it knock down every single pin. Rubbing her eyes, she had to make sure it was real. Finn came from the back and wrapped his arms around her waist. Lifting the tiny girl off the ground, he spun her around, and Rachel Berry squealed with delight.

"Oh Finny! Did you see that? Did you see that? I knocked down every single one of them!"

He beamed with pride as he set her down to the ground. "I saw it babe, you were amazing."

Her eyes shone with honor. "And I couldn't have done it without you."

Without warning, she had pulled his chin down to give a fast peck on his lips. He wasn't even sure if she knew what she was doing. All he knew was that the pulse racing, sweaty palms and chills running down his spine could never measure to this moment when he was sure his heart stopped beating for a second.

Finn swallowed his excitement from the past minute and licked his lips. She tasted good. So good that he started to move backwards, feeling his energy dissolved into thin air and had to sit down in order to regain himself. Missing a step, he tripped from the elevated platform and tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, his head managed to avoid the seats and crashed against the carpet instead.

"Finn!" She screamed, rushing to his aid. With her knees on the floor, her left hand went around his neck. She lifted his head gently and rested it on her upper thighs so that she could get a better look.

His eyes were shut as he tried to come to terms with the impact. He fell on a soft spot, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

"Are you okay? Finny!" She smacked his face, afraid that he had passed out from the fall. "Finny! Say something!"

He looked dreamily into her eyes and she gulped, unsure of what's to come.

"I like that your hair matches your eyes. I like your eyes. They're pretty."

She smiled and shook her head at his reply. She used her right thumb to stroke his cheek gently. "Yeah?"

He nodded as his face leaned into her palm. His eyes shut again, and he said softly, "You've got the prettiest pair of eyes I've ever seen. Rach?"

"Yes Finny?"

"I think I see stars. Or maybe it's just your eyes because they're so pretty."

She took a hint at that comment. "Okay big guy. I think that's enough bowling for one morning. Come on, let's get you out of here."

* * *

><p>He laid back into the couch. The impact from the fall had subsided and he felt much better. She had brought him back to his apartment, ruining any ideas he had for the rest of the date simply because she wasn't convinced that he could do anything else. After several failed attempts to persuade otherwise, he relented to her commands. Thus, explaining his current surroundings.<p>

Rachel Berry took the two mugs and brought it to where he was seated. She laid them at the coffee table and inspected him. This produced a sigh.

"Well I just wanted to be sure." She insisted.

"And for the millionth time babe, I'm good."

She leaned in for her drink and he positioned himself upright.

"Rach?"

"Hmm?"

"You know you can leave if you want to."

She was confused by the words coming out of his mouth. "Why would you say something like that?"

Thinking back about his past always made him bitter. He wounded up pushing away so many people because he simply didn't want to experience the same kind of hurt he felt after the way Santana had left him. Rachel Berry, of all people should have been the first one out of the door. He had never made a mockery of himself as much as he did when he was with her.

"I don't know, aren't you embarrassed of me?"

"No silly, why would you say that?"

"Because I'm a screw up."

"You screwed up, not a screw up. There's a difference Finn. We have fun despite the little accidents. That's all that matters right?"

A weak smile appeared. "Are you disappointed that every date we had so far had to end so abruptly? I had plans for the whole day! Really! I was going to take you to the park to feed the ducks, and maybe we could have dinner at Central Park. Otherwise, it'll always be good to rent any of your favorite musicals because I love hearing you sing!"

She chuckled at the life in his voice. Finn Hudson surely was one of a kind. She laid her fingers on his hand. "We could still do all of that. We have the future to do all of that."

"Huh?" _The future? Was she seeing a future between them?_

Her eyes widened at the way she came off. "I mean, we could always do stuff like that on a third date or something. It doesn't matter when we'd get to do all those activities because well, I like spending time with you Finn Hudson. I'm not one of those girls you meet at a bar, I mean, the irony of it. But I'm not those kind of girls that you can just blow off. I don't give up that easy."

* * *

><p>Chapter 13, and I really do apologize for being so behind on my updates! Glee references to wow, there were simply more than 5 from the way Santana trash talks Finn, that it's just too many to list!<p>

There has been such a whirlwind in the Glee community from the past two days huh? Well, we've got another season so that's all that matters in the end! It was really funny because well, on the day that the news of S4 was released, I was at dinner with a bunch of my girlfriends. And then, glee's soundtrack started playing with "Don't Stop Believin'" I SWEAR I HAD TO STOP EATING FOR A MOMENT TO CALM MYSELF. I love glee so very much because it also opened me up to all of you! So thank you so very much to you as well! :)

Georgia! HAI HAI HAI! Lovely new reviewer, you're the 100th one for this story so this chapter is for you! Hope that you've enjoyed your stay here, and do enjoy this new one that's dedicated to you! :')

Finchel21, Aw! You're so sweet! Your review is my heaven! A little insight to how I got the idea of the video game thing? Well, it was inspired by my bf and his group of dorky friends who does that all the time! So that was me adding a little personal experience into my story! Glad to see you loving it anyway! :) Have a good day love!

Mandy-twinkletoes, Supercyke, noro, AnnPatrick PaochiCute, bananappancakes and Perfect Finchel. HAI HAI HAI! Aw shucks, you guys are just so dedicated, it warms my heart every single time I get notified for a review by you. Seriously, don't stop alright? Because it's necessary for me to acknowledge just how awesome you are every time you do so. I love you so very much, so very dearly. Thank you for lighting up my life.

Sarasetif, the nameless anon, and imabfamous. WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME! GAH! You guys have made me so excited for you! I don't even know why! But YAY! HAI HAI HAI! WELCOME! You guys are just so adorable and amazing, I don't know what have I done to deserve your presence in my stories. And to the anon, I LOOOOVED your rant, do leave a name or maybe even an initial or something. Because I feel the need to thank you if you do drop by again! And how exciting was the news about S4? SO AWESOME! Have a lovely day to all of you!


	14. Ch 14 The Singing Night

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"Okay, show me your moves."<p>

"What moves?"

"You know! What you'd usually do. How you'd propose to the next step of your relationship with a girl."

"Oh! That. Wow, uhm, I sort of –"

Finn saw the nervous look on Artie's face and jumped to conclusions. "Please tell me that you've done this before."

When the man in the wheelchair failed to respond, Finn shook his head, an action that was becoming regular whenever Artie was around.

"I thought you knew that I was a hopeless case when you signed up for this."

The tall man took a deep breath. "Needless to say I wasn't really surprised. But you're not a hopeless case Artie. Nobody is. None of my clients are. And do you want to know why? It's because I'd never let them be."

"So you've got an idea then?" His face was glistening with hope at the prospect of Finn's skills.

Nodding, Finn spoke up. "You've apparently got your swerve on a little bit. Think you could sing?"

Finn normally wouldn't even suggest serenading as a form of proposition. But spending time with Rachel made him remember how much fun singing could be. He recalled back in his high school days when he'd sing to Santana and she loved it. If a song could get through a cold-hearted woman like her, Brittany was sure to be swept off her feet. That was if Artie could carry a tune.

Artie was hesitant. He'd sing once in a while, to get it out of his system whenever a good song came along. Nobody ever said he was bad, but nobody said he was good either.

"I, I guess, I guess I could give it a shot."

"Awesome! What do you have in your back pocket?"

"Dream a little dream of me. Is that too cheesy?"

Finn thought about the night Rachel had snuck up on him at her office. Nothing more embarrassing could beat that. "Not if you sound good."

Taking a deep breath, Artie nodded at the man who was seated on the couch.

_Stars shining bright above you_  
><em>Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'<em>  
><em>Birds singing in the sycamore trees<em>  
><em>Dream a little dream of me<em>

_Say nighty-night and kiss me_  
><em>Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me<em>  
><em>While I'm alone and blue as can be<em>  
><em>Dream a little dream of me<em>

_Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you_  
><em>Sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you<em>  
><em>But in your dream whatever they may be<em>  
><em>Dream a little dream of me<em>

_Dream a little dream of me_

Finn got onto his feet and applauded the man with a smirk on his face. "Not bad, not bad at all."

He saw a hint of red on the man's face and was glad that he was embarrassed. Because it meant that he was good, but too shy to admit the fact that he had talent. He grinned at his client.

"I think we can work something out here."

* * *

><p>It was the preview night of a new lounge in the city. Only the important people were invited and Brittany S. Pierce was one of them. Artie Abrams was her date and Finn convinced his client that tonight was the night.<p>

Coincidentally, all the paparazzi's were invited to get the exclusive scoop before everything could be opened to the public. Rachel Berry had scored an invitation, leading Finn to be her plus one for this event.

This gave Artie a little more faith in himself. At least his help was around in case he screwed anything up. Finn, however instructed his client that tonight, they had to be exceptionally careful. All eyes were going to be on Brittany and her new 'beau.'

Artie was in a critical position in his relationship with Brittany. Tonight could mean the change he wanted to see in his life. It could either bring him up to his dreams, or ruin his life forever. It was the second date, the second date that if it went successfully, would lead to a third one where he would make his move.

Finn had prepped him on stuff he should and should not do. But there wasn't much they had to work on as compared to the first date. Instead, Finn helped him practice his song during most of their meetings over the past week. His consultant had also helped out with the arrangements for the night. There were a couple of performances lined up, followed by an open mic hour.

Artie was up for the last performance, the final performance of the night. But Artie knew that despite Finn being around, as always, he was going to have to rely on himself.

He saw Finn enter the room with a tiny brunette in tow. She was pretty, but not as pretty as his Brittany. He was still waiting for her to arrive and had been nervous even though it wasn't his first date with her. To him, every single one counts and he had to perform his utmost best. Seeing Finn though, calmed him slightly.

* * *

><p>"You good Finn?"<p>

He looked at her in amazement. "Why'd you ask?"

"I don't know. I was sort of afraid that tonight might be a little overwhelming for you. I mean it's not your usual scene is it?"

He laid his hand gently on her back and pulled her away from the entrance.

"I think I can handle it. I've already embarrassed myself in front of you on countless occasions. It's not going to be humiliating if the press catches me doing anything stupid. Not humiliating at all."

She laughed at his good-naturedness. "I'm sorry that I have to work at the same time. You wouldn't mind would you?"

"I still get to spend a little time with you. I'm good."

Her hand slipped into his fingers naturally. "Come on big guy, I think I just spotted our seat."

The setting tonight was a little different from what he had expected. Or maybe, he just wasn't exposed to these sorts of events like she was. It had the essential elements that would classify it as a lounge. Dim lightings, a bar-counter by the wall and a sprinkle of small tables. The platform was set up beside the bar and couches were facing the center stage. There were however, a higher number of couches as compared to the number of tables. Finn had also expected a huge dance area, but scanning the room, it wasn't evident.

He wondered about the invite for Brittany S. Pierce, then concluding that she was probably used for publicity. It was a shame though; he'd thought he might have been able to score a live performance by the renowned dancer.

The seat Rachel's company was assigned to was a huge armchair. It was definitely too big for someone her size, but a problem for the couple. There simply wasn't sufficient space for the both of them. She looked up at him and he knew what she was thinking.

"This is not moving too quickly is it?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and racked his brains for a feasible solution to the pickle. However, the place was filling up quickly and he couldn't come up with a decent suggestion.

So he sat down into the brown leather furniture and she took a deep breath before squeezing herself at whatever space she was left with. To her disappointment, attempting to rotate into a comfortable position was proving to be a tougher task than she had expected. She sighed at the problem. Raising the white flag, her exasperated voice made him panic.

"Oh what the heck!"

She stood up and pushed him back into the seat as far as he could go. Then, she pulled his knees towards each other and dropped herself into his thighs. He swallowed hard, for she was now closer to him than he had prepared himself for.

She sat stiffly at the edge and neither one of them was brave enough to move. The spotlights started to darken and Rachel felt the rigidness wear off. Her shoulders relaxed and the girl turned to look at him.

He smiled softly at her, revealing his dimples. Then his arms, which had stayed firmly on the sides of the armchair, came around her waist. His fingers locked her into an embrace, resting in the middle of her body. Her face began to reflect his joy, and she smiled timidly at him as she sunk back into his chest.

"You good Rach?"

His voice came into a slight whisper, echoing in her ears. She was still trying to process how strange yet comfortable this close contact was with him. So instead of finding her voice for a reply, she nodded and snuggled closer.

* * *

><p>"A round of applause please!" The host instructed for the performer of the night. "Now, we know of some of you in the audience who can carry a note or two. So any takers?"<p>

Murmurs ran across the room as everyone hustled about the request. Rachel turned to her partner whom she was seating on and squealed.

"Finn!"

He looked at the delight in her cheeks and couldn't resist delivering a peck on them. "Do you want to go up there?"

"Well, I was thinking of you going up there."

"No, no way! Not when you're in the same room as me."

"But Finny! You didn't have a problem singing that night!" She retorted.

"Babe, there's no way –"

"Come on up! Looks like we've got ourselves a brave one out here!" The host blasted through the room, silencing the couple in their seat.

She pouted at the wasted chance. "Fine, but after this performance, we're up. We sound good together Finn, and we'll show them." Her eyes returned to the front and he smiled at her.

During the song, Finn would sing softly into her hair and every time he did so, she'd feel his warm breath on her neck. The past hour was a big step for her. She found herself enjoying the little moments she had with him. Like, how he would stroke her wrist with his thumb. Or how he'd dig his nose into her hair to get a whiff of her. But her favorite Finn moment yet, was how he would squeeze her like she belonged to him.

When it ended, she took no second to reconsider. She was going to sing with Finn up on that stage because she missed performing and they needed to see how good she was with him.

Pulling him up to the platform, she whispered to the DJ of her song choice. The melody came along and he gave a half smile.

_Sing it out_  
><em>Boy you got to see what tomorrow brings<em>  
><em>Sing it out<em>  
><em>Girl you got to be what tomorrow needs<em>

_For every time_  
><em>That they want to count you out<em>  
><em>Use your voice<em>  
><em>Every single time you open up your mouth<em>

_Sing it for the boys, Sing it for the girls_  
><em>Every time that you lose it sing it for the world<em>  
><em>Sing it from the heart, sing it till you're nuts<em>  
><em>Sing it out for the ones that'll hate your guts<em>  
><em>Sing it for the deaf, sing it for the blind<em>  
><em>Sing about everyone that you left behind<em>  
><em>Sing it for the world<em>  
><em>Sing it for the world<em>

_Cleaned-up corporation pogress_  
><em>Dying in the process<em>  
><em>Children that can talk about it<em>  
><em>Living on the webways<em>  
><em>People moving sideways<em>  
><em>Sell it tell your last days<em>

_Buy yourself the motivation_  
><em>Generation nithing<em>  
><em>Nothing but a dead scene<em>  
><em>Product of a white dream<em>  
><em>I am not the singer that you wanted<em>  
><em>But a dancer, I refuse to answer<em>  
><em>Talk about the past,<em>  
><em>Sir and wrote it for the ones who want to get away<em>

_Keep running!_

_Sing it for the boys, Sing it for the girls_  
><em>Every time that you lose it sing it for the world<em>  
><em>Sing it from the heart, sing it till you're nuts<em>  
><em>Sing it out for the ones that'll hate your guts<em>  
><em>Sing it for the deaf, sing it for the blind<em>  
><em>Sing about everyone that you left behind<em>  
><em>Sing it for the world<em>  
><em>Sing it for the world<em>

* * *

><p>Artie Abrams was watching Finn perform with his date up on stage and felt his pulse quickened. They were good! He sneaked a glance at Brittany and saw that she had swayed along to their performance as well. It terrified him.<p>

What if she didn't enjoy his song? He should have picked one that was a little more upbeat. What if she thought that he had a horrible voice? His palms started to heat up and he knew that if he didn't do something about them, it could get ugly.

Leaning as close as he could towards his date, he whispered. "Are you having fun Brittany?"

She turned to look at him. Smiling sweetly, she said softly, "I sure am. Are you having fun Artie?"

He nodded and started to move back to his original upright position. However, she was not done with the conversation.

"Do you want to sing Artie?"

"Huh?"

"Would you like to perform? We could sign you up."

He was caught in a dilemma. She seemed excited for him to get up on that stage. And yet, Finn said that being the last performer of the night would emphasize the importance of his intention. He didn't want to disappoint her, but what could he do?

"I'm not sure. I've never sung in public before. Do you want to go up there though?"

The blonde dancer looked towards the couple that had just finished with their song. They were in a tight embrace and Artie had to admit that they did look cute together despite the height difference.

"I don't know." She said softly. "I mean, I guess I have sung on countless occasions before, but hardly a ballad in front of a crowd. What if I suck in love songs?"

"You'll be amazing!" This was working out good for him. Cheering her to take the stage was enough of a distraction to keep her mind off pushing him to perform. And, he was subtlety being an encouraging date. When he saw the uneasy look in her eyes, he continued.

"You are going to be amazing Brittany. Because when you're up there on that stage, you have the power over the entire room. Nobody's going to be able to snatch that spotlight away even if they tried. If you think you sound horrible, I'd still be here, giving you the loudest applause you'll ever hear."

A tiny but confident grin appeared and she got to her feet after whispering a "thank you Artie."

She walked to the front and the host was taken aback.

"Well, if it isn't our very own Brittany Pierce! I'm sure all of us are excited for this. What do you have for us Britt?"

She was a natural performer, so she handled the audiences' response like an old pro.

"I'm going to slow things down a little here. And I know that I'm known for performing to upbeat dance numbers. But tonight," She pointed to the man who had cheered her on and continued, "this is for you Artie."

The people in the crowd was exceptionally surprised at her comment, which had somewhat seemed like a confession. Rachel's jaw dropped and made a record of the words she had just heard. Finn however, smirked at how Artie seemed to be performing pretty well on his own.

When the song came on, Finn tightened his grip around Rachel's waist. She squeezed the muscular pair of arms around her and leaned into the crook of his neck. Being this close with him was amazing.

_I took my love and I took it down_  
><em>I climbed the mountain and I turned around<em>  
><em>And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills<em>  
><em>Where the landslide brought me down<em>

_Oh mirror in the sky, what is love?_  
><em>Can the child within my heart rise above<em>  
><em>Can I sail through the ocean tides<em>  
><em>Can I handle the seasons of my life<em>  
><em>Uh oh, uh oh<em>

_Well I've been afraid of changing_  
><em>Cause I build my life around you<em>  
><em>But time makes you bolder, children get older<em>  
><em>And I'm getting older too<em>  
><em>Well I'm getting older too<em>

_So take this love and take it down, yeah_  
><em>And if you climbed the mountain and turn around<em>  
><em>And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills<em>  
><em>Well the landslide brought me down<em>

_And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills_  
><em>Well maybe, well maybe, the landslide will bring you down<em>

Artie was applauding as hard as his hands could. Brittany was amazing and if he could, he would have given her the standing ovation that she deserved.

* * *

><p>"So we have a special request from a certain someone in this room to be up for the final performance. A Mr. Artie Abrams?"<p>

Brittany turned to look at her date. "Artie?"

He took her hand bravely and stroked the knuckles on her palm. "This is for you Britt."

Then he rolled towards the platform and the host gave him a guitar. Brittany fidgeted in her seat and was unsure of what's to come.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14 is here! I am definitely really sorry that this had taken a little longer than usual! I have spent the whole day planning out "The Other End of My Tether" that I sort of forgot about "The Love Pundit"! That story's definitely a challenge for me and I'm hoping that you guys would be patient with me on that one! But nevertheless, here's the new chapter! Guesses for the song Artie's gonna be singing? I'd dedicate the next chapter to you if you get it right! :') Hopefully this could brighten your Friday the 13th if it's been a horrible day for you! :')<p>

Also, the song choices have been Dream a little Dream of Me, Sing and Landslide! Definitely some of my glee favorites! I know how Heather Morris was just a backup for the Landslide number, but Artie did move along to the song whilst Brittany was singing in the episode, so I hope it'll still be okay though! :)

Noro, jellybeangirl9792, Sliguu, Mandy-twinkletoes, bananappancakes, Melly233, AnnPatrick, PerfectFinchel and imabfamous AHHH! You guys are the sweetest! I really ought to punish myself for being super late in the updates recently! If you guys are wanting more, do check out my new story! Definitely a little 'darker'(?) Finchel piece for you, but I promise to deliver it as best as I can! You guys are the best reviewers any person could ask for, so don't stop being so damn amazing! Much love from me to you! :')

Laylita83, GAH! I feel like I should knock my head on the wall for being so daft about that review! I am super duper sorry for not being able to tell it was you! But honey, you have been missed terribly! Thank you for being the ever-constant supporter for everything that I've done, you are so very dear to me. Much love coming from me to you for the beautiful weekend coming up! :')

PaochiCute HAI HAI HAI my sweetheart! Aw, thanks for thinking about my story during the film! I have been watching it more frequent than usual because whenever I'm lost for inspiration, I turn to the actual source. And honey, my sweet, sweet darling, your review for my new story was UH-MAY-ZING. I really love you so very much for being one of the most wonderful people I've come to know since I started this little thing. Sending you a million and one virtual hugs to you right now, so you'd better be hugging yourself for a good ten minutes cause that's what I'd be doing if I could :)


	15. Ch 15 The Tall Distraction

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p><em>Isn't she lovely<em>  
><em>Isn't she wonderful<em>  
><em>I never thought through love we'd be<em>  
><em>Making one as lovely as she<em>  
><em>But isn't she lovely made from love<em>

Rachel turned to Finn and whispered, "Isn't this song about a baby?"

He chuckled and stroked her wrist. Then, he kissed her softly on her cheeks, silencing the brunette.

_Isn't she pretty_  
><em>Truly the angel's best<em>  
><em>Boy, I'm so happy<em>  
><em>We have been heaven blessed<em>  
><em>I can't believe what God has done<em>  
><em>Through us, he's given life to one<em>  
><em>But isn't she lovely, made from love<em>

Artie had now rolled his way to his date. She was flushed with embarrassment, the red in her cheeks proving so. She hid a smile behind her hands, and her eyes were following him in his every move. With every lyric he sang, the grin grew wider, although not evident to the public.

_Isn't she lovely_  
><em>Life and love are the same<em>  
><em>Londie, it could have not been done<em>  
><em>Without you who conceived the one<em>  
><em>That's so very lovely made from love<em>

The room filled with applause, for it was certainly one of the sweetest things they've seen. Cameras flashed before the 'power couple' when he took her hand to deliver a soft peck between her fingers.

"That was lovely Artie, thank you." She whispered. Bending to him, she gave him a tight embrace. She had squeezed him so hard, he almost went out of breath. But he didn't care. She was holding unto him, in that matter of seconds, the whole world stopped to look at them. It wasn't the pigment of his imagination that he often dreamed about. It was real.

Rachel didn't register that she was here for work. When people got to their feet, applauding for the main attraction of the room, she was already standing midway through his song. She had followed Brittany Pierce for a couple of months now, and this was the happiest she had seen from the dancer.

"How cute are they?" She asked softly to Finn.

He surprised her though. Throughout the performance by this Artie Abrams, Finn's eyes never left the man. She caught him lip-syncing to the song and when Artie had rolled over to Brittany, he'd let out an evident breath of satisfaction. When the performance ended, she was sure that he was applauding for the man louder than anyone else in the audience. It puzzled her, but she brushed them aside. Because Artie Abrams did look like he had fallen in love.

Finn, who was also on his feet behind her, grazed her arms before linking his fingers around her waist again. She felt his chin rest on top of her head and knew that he was looking at the couple like she was.

Rachel Berry had followed celebrities around, enough to see the craziest, most romantic but sometimes a little too overwhelming gestures made. Because when you're in the limelight, dates tend to get broadcast, with every bit of information sprawled across every published magazine. What Artie did was nothing out of the ordinary, yet wild in the simplest of forms.

She might have been a little biased, seeing that she'd always have a soft spot for musicians. But music, in her opinion is the grandest gesture anyone could ever use to make a statement. That night at her office, with the Broadway fiasco she had with Finn was the night she became smitten. Who could resist a musician who was as talented as he was? This was the same reason why, for once in her life, she was distracted from her job.

Because it was the first time in years, that when something ever so sweet as Artie Abrams little performance was, she had a man whom she could relate the feeling to. He'd stroke her arm so tenderly; it gave her chills that were steadily becoming addictive. He'd pepper her with kisses of affection, like she was the most precious thing he'd ever attained. He'd hold her at every ballad sung, and it made her feel like she wasn't alone in this crazy little thing people called love.

* * *

><p>"Mike Chang?"<p>

A voice rang at the top of his head and he saw a tall man before him.

"Wow, so it is true." The Asian man said with bewilderment when Finn Hudson took his seat in front of him.

The giant raised his hands, "As good as it gets I guess."

He took a second to swallow in the reality of how this rumored man turned out to be true. Then, he looked through his phone when a message was notified. Finn furrowed his brows at the apparent rudeness but chose to keep his comments to himself.

"Well, I sort of know how you work."

Finn smiled politely. Before he could have the chance to add to the comment, the Asian man spoke again.

"I am in a rush, so I was sort of hoping that we could just get it done by today."

"I'm sorry?"

"I am a very busy man. Quite frankly, I had to rearrange my schedule for this meeting with you. I wasn't too keen on pushing back some of my meetings, but I heard that you're quite the expert in your field."

His eyes darted between his phone and Finn, which the tall man was starting to find inconsiderate. He didn't like the way he was treating him, and it made Finn wonder if this was how he'd handle his future relationships as well. Finally settling his phone down, Mike Chang made eye contact with Finn for the first time in their five minutes together.

"I don't like taking things slow. Because I don't know, when you want something so much, you'd –"

"You mean someone?" Finn pointed out curtly.

"Exactly. Someone. That's what I just said. Anyway, when you want someone so much, you'd wish for her to be yours right away."

Finn thought about his tiny brunette and how he had the exact same thinking as Mike Chang had just pointed out. He smiled and said, "So tell me about her."

It wasn't his usual procedure of doing things. If he was still the Finn that he was a month ago, he'd definitely needed to understand his new client a little better before he could start on this new 'business deal.' However, being with Rachel has been changing him. He'd felt that it was necessary to overlook the little flaws. It wasn't his job to make the man perfect for a girl.

Watching how Artie twisted the little saga from the previous night, topping off with how Rachel had forgiven him for every little embarrassing hiccup known to man for dates, Finn started to change his theories. 2nd chances were important. 2nd impressions could mean just as much as 1st impressions did. Rachel gave that to him, so it was only right if he altered his rules a little.

"You know how sometimes when you meet a girl, and you're instantly attracted to her? I'm not talking about infatuations. It's more than that. It's like how when you look at her, and you started to wonder how you could ever survive without even knowing about her?"

Finn's grin turned into a beam. He reminisced the first time he laid his eyes on Rachel and how stunning she was that night. He certainly did feel that instant attraction that Mike was talking about right now.

"What's her name?" He questioned, excited about his new client already. He heard the description and knew that this was going to be another successful deal.

"Name? Who said anything about a name? You didn't even let me finish. That magical feeling of being with someone is up there." The Asian man raised his hand above his head. "And I'd definitely work hard to attain this level. But for now, I'm here." He lowered his palm and brought it to his eye level. "And when I'm here, it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun."

Okay, so maybe not.

"Excuse me?" Finn questioned incredulously. "I think you misunderstood what I do here."

"Come on, all I need is to get laid. You know have some fun while trying to find all of that lovey-dovey crap people talk about everyday."

Finn shook his head and leaned back in his seat. He had seen enough of men like him on the streets. It was people like him that embarrassed the tall giant of how insensitive and plain disgusting his gender could get.

He cleared his throat and looked at his now, ex-client's demeanor with disgust. "First of all, love isn't crap. And secondly, in my opinion, if you ever want to get up there," He mimicked the man's action from before and raised his hand above them. "You need to work hard starting from right here." Then he brought his hand to the eye level again.

"But quite frankly, if that's the attitude that you have towards relationships, like how it's okay to be sleeping around and toss your one night stands aside, then I'm sorry to say that you'll always be right here." He lowered his palm until it grazed the surface of the table. "And you know what Mike?" He couldn't stand any second longer to be around this chauvinist, so he made a final statement before taking his departure.

"My clients respect women. I pity you. Not only for the fact that you'd always be stuck on the lowest level, but also for the fact that you'll never really understand just how much more a relationship can mean when intercourse isn't in the picture."

Then he stood up to leave. The Asian man however, was resentful. "Don't you think you can just walk out on me! I know people of high places. You don't understand. I always get what I want."

Finn turned to face him. He hooked his arm with the Asian man's and flipped him towards the table, which caused a stir in the café they were in. Gasps sounded and Finn whispered sharply. "My soon to be brother-in-law took up boxing when he was in high school and I have picked up on a few moves. You may get what you want, but here's a little insight on you getting what you need. You hear me?"

The Asian man was afraid. He could take Finn on, if he tried hard enough. But he had one of his best suits on. Not to mention, Finn's height alone was intimidating. When a small nod was given, Finn released the man and smoothed the dress shirt he had on. He turned to the rest of the patrons and said,

"We're rehearsing for a play. Round of applause for this man, and how convincing his act had been. Right to the very end."

With that, he left, leaving Mike Chang looking lost in the sea of claps surrounding him.

* * *

><p>Will Schuester called for Rachel Berry. He wasn't furious that she hadn't had any evidence about the event from the night before but he wasn't entirely pleased either Don't get him wrong, he was somewhat happy to see that she arrived with a date. Evidently, she had a good time seeing that all she submitted was a paragraph of descriptions. But when the latest scoop of gossip collected rocketed earnings for his competing magazines, she had to take a little responsibility.<p>

"You wanted to see me?" She popped her head in after a soft but evidently heard knock.

He beckoned for her to enter and she shut the door behind her. Flopping into the seat facing him, she smiled and rested her hands on the handles. Crossing her legs, she interlocked her fingers that came at her waist and she waited for further instructions.

"You know why I called you in today Rachel?"

She pondered for a moment, the corner of her lips turned up as she thought hard.

"A raise?" She asked hopefully.

"Nice try kiddo, but no. That's not the reason why."

She shrugged her shoulders. "That's all I got."

He sighed and threw the issue of his opposing publisher's tabloid on his table. She leaned in to get a closer look, clutching the magazine in her hands. Images of the night before were spilled over the pages and she sighed, knowing where he was taking this meeting.

Will Schuester walked towards her. He leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm sorry Will." She contemplated cooking up some excuse to get her out of this little thing she had forgotten. But when she saw the pictures of Brittany Pierce and Artie Abrams, her heart was reminded of the butterflies in her stomach from the night before.

"Business and pleasure sure don't mix huh?" She looked up at her boss meekly.

His face softened and he asked rhetorically, "You think?"

She looked down and hung her head low. "I'd pay more attention next time."

He patted her shoulder. "Rachel, I don't disagree with what you've done, whether it was to your knowledge or not. Because you have been working way too hard, you need to enjoy yourself. Just be a little careful the next time all right? Find that balance and make sure you know when it's time to get serious about your job and when it's okay to let loose."

She nodded her head again and he dismissed the tiny brunette shortly after.

Rachel Berry retreated to her desk and fingered her phone. A contradiction of thoughts ran through her mind. She was disappointed in herself for letting her date with Finn get the better of her job. And yet, how could she focus on anything else when she was with him? She sighed loudly in exasperation and laid her head on the desk.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to focus on one thought at a time. Will hadn't blown his top at her, which was good sign. But she knew dissatisfaction when she saw it. Her work ethic was the best in the company and because of the man named Finn Hudson; she'd let her boss down.

Her phone rang and she sat up. Seeing the caller's ID, she sighed. As annoyed as she was with herself because of him, she couldn't deny that his name appearing in her phone would put an uncontrollable grin in her heart.

"Hey beautiful," He'd started and she surrendered herself completely. Who was she to kid? His voice was her weakness. "How's your day so far?"

"Got myself into a little trouble from last night because I was too distracted by a hot date to focus on work."

Guilt stricken, he panicked at her reply. "Oh god, I'm sorry Rach. I shouldn't have tagged along when I knew you had to work. Did your boss give you a hard time? I'm really sorry!"

"Finn!" She giggled at how anxious he was about her. "It wasn't your fault, I invited you along. Besides, it was nothing really. Just a warning that I should also snap a couple of pictures to go with what I've written about the event."

"I still feel terrible for being a distraction."

"Finn, come on. It was nothing."

"No babe, it's not nothing. Seriously what is wrong with me for ruining everything for you?"

"Finny, stop it. Although I do have to agree that you haven't exactly been –"

"Hey!"

She giggled and turned the conversation around. "Alright, alright. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight. We could go to a musical." He suggested. Then, before she could reply, he added softly, "And me calling right now might have been spurred on by the fact that I missed you."

She blushed at how sweet he was being. She knew that she'd taken an unhealthy habit of being drugged by the sound of his voice. It didn't help that the he'd shower her with words of affection like this.

"Which show were you thinking of?" She asked.

"Why don't you pick?"

He just had to do this didn't he? Allowing her to take control of their date because he knew that she was a much bigger fan for musicals than he was. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Finn Hudson had finally made her understand it all.

"All right, I'll let you know again then. See you Finn."

"Bye Rach."

"I can't wait." He whispered to himself as he hung up from the call. He had made that phone call after his meeting with Mike Chang. He didn't know what possessed him to do so. It was a natural instinct. He wanted someone to cheer him up. And at this moment, nobody else could do a better job than Rachel Berry.

* * *

><p>Freak out and scream because Glee is returning to our screens after a 5-week hiatus! How excited are you? :') Anyway, Chapter 15 is here and I hope that nobody's too unhappy about how I've written Mike Chang off! But nonetheless, thank you for being such a wonderful reader, you are so much love for being so patient with me :') Glee reference to S02E20.<p>

Bananappancakes, aw honey, it wasn't PYT. But I still love you, you adorable little thing! Keep being beautiful! :)

CarCarBeepBroom, I was this close to crying my eyes out. Because honey, I don't know how you get so sweet to be promoting my stories for me! So a shoutout to your friend too! You are such an angel, really! Hope prom was amazing for you dear! You deserve to have a good time because you've been so wonderful to me! :')

Mandy-twinkletoes, AH! You smart little pumpkin you! Because of your accurate guess, this chapter is dedicated to you and I'm sorry that the Finchel kiss is taking a while, but it would definitely appear in the either one of the next two chapters! You are so adorable and I love you for being this sweet darling :')

Noro and Melly233, YAY! Thank you for loving the chapter! You guys are amazing to me, so don't ever change! :')

Laylita83, yes my love! I have seen your review on the other story and thank you for being so wonderful and supportive in that already! I have been working on the 2nd chapter daily since I submitted the first one, and am only halfway done though :( Nonetheless, I hope you'll still enjoy my more regularly updated "The Love Pundit" Sending you lots of love!

PaochiCute, I swear babe, I ADORE YOUR LONG REVIEWS! It always puts a smile on my face and my day becomes better instantly! I am still figuring out the little details for the other story, so do bear with me if the updates for the new story takes a while. But here's hoping that you're enjoying this light-hearted Finchel-ness in this story! Much love from me to you dear because you are so wonderful :')


	16. Ch 16 The Kept Secret

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"Hey Q, so any news on this Artie Abrams kid?" Rachel asked casually as she sat on the tabletop of her best friend's.<p>

Quinn Fabray was looking through the negatives when the brunette interrupted her. There were also tabloids from their competing publisher and images of the previous night sprawled across them.

"You sneaky little one." She added with a knowing smirk.

A certain picture had Rachel Berry with a man. They supplied the backdrop of someone else, but still one that was evident of their presence and actions.

It showed his arms around her waist, not that he had ever let go. The photographer had caught the moment when she was looking up at him with merriment as he was singing his heart out along with Artie's song. Her eyes had never looked any more youthful than the joy emitted during that night.

"Excuse me?"

The blonde reached for the clearest picture of her friend and pushed it under her nose. "Care to explain Raspberry?"

Rachel smiled sheepishly as she fought to hide the evidence.

"If it isn't Rachel Berry finally eating her words?" Sam's voice came over her shoulders and he stood beside his girlfriend, resting his arm on the blonde.

The brunette's eyes widened. "Does everyone know?" She whispered harshly at the possible realization.

"Rach, it's caught on a magazine. What do you think?" Sam asked matter-of-factly.

"I just wanted someone to come along with me all right? I mean I didn't want to look stupid alone. "

"Yeah, you certainly don't look stupid when you're so friggin' dazed like that." He said under his breath, but loud enough for the two girls to hear. Quinn giggled at his tease and tried to hide her humor by digging her nose into his shirt.

Rachel, however, was not amused.

"I am not in love Mr. Sam Evans. Rachel Berry doesn't fall in love. It was simply a date. I couldn't help it that I got him hooked."

"You look like you're enjoying yourself there." He continued.

"Please. I felt so much like a woodland creature standing next to the man. Do you see how huge he is?"

"Q, a little help here? I think your best friend's getting a little senile. She must have forgotten how love looks like after staying away from the game far too long."

"Sam," Quinn finally spoke up. "If Rachel says she isn't, then I'll believe her. She's old enough to tell the difference between being in love and having a good time with a friend. Stop teasing her."

"Yeah!" Rachel replied haughtily, glad to see that Quinn was on board with her.

"But babe, when you saw the picture, you said –" He started to protest but couldn't think of a smart answer in that spur of the moment. When he saw Quinn's beady eyes staring at him, he knew it was time to give it up.

"Aw fine." He replied stubbornly.

"So freaking whipped." Rachel snorted at her win.

He narrowed his eyes at the tiny girl. Then, he was called off for a meeting. Before he left, he laid a quick peck on his girlfriend's cheek and turned to Rachel.

"You know I'm right about this."

"You're smart Sam, but not smart enough." Rachel voiced out just as he stepped away.

She returned to her seat, and the other woman followed her. "Okay Raspberry. Now that Sam's gone?"

Rachel sunk into her seat and looked up. Sighing with contentment, she said softly. "He's so wonderful Q."

"I knew it!" Quinn Fabray squealed with delight and swiveled her chair to the brunette's table, anxious to get her hands on the dishy details.

"Don't make a big deal out of it okay? I mean we haven't even you know, talked about getting together or anything."

"Oh, this is so exciting. There's finally hope that Rachel Berry wouldn't turn into a cranky old spinster with nine cats!"

"Hey!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Could you blame me when you've been so stubborn? But enough about that! Come on, how long has this been going on for?" She crossed her legs and allowed her elbow to rest on her knees. She clenched her fist and positioned her forearm upright so that it could support her chin as she listened in.

Rachel's eyes began to lose its focus as she pictured his dimpled grin in her mind.

"I don't know if what we have between us is you know, love. But I just find myself thinking about him at the most random times. Whether it's before I go to sleep, getting my morning bagel or even when I make my way home."

"That's nearly every bit of your time Rach."

"I guess so. But I don't know. I mean, it's a little weird for me, you know? Like suddenly all those love songs start to make sense. Like my world seems to be a brighter place. People would start to look at you like you're some dork but you don't really notice the stares."

Quinn smiled gently at how much in love Rachel sounded, but doesn't even realize it herself.

"And I don't know, he just makes me happy I guess. Is that what you have with Sam?"

Quinn caught sight of her man and he turned to look at the same time. They smiled at each other and she gave a small wave before he got back to work.

"I do Rach, I do."

Rachel gripped the fingers of her friend. "I'm genuinely happy for you Q. I mean, I know Sam and I don't seem to be on good terms all the time, like how we're always joking with each other about stuff. But you know that I'm happy that you've found him right?"

"Thanks Rach. I'm sure you're just as happy yourself."

"I don't know, I guess I'm kind of am happy where I am right now with him."

"So tell me, how long has it been going on for?"

"About two to three weeks?"

"This is so exciting! Tell me more!"

"Well okay uhm, we first noticed each other, ironically when I was with you, Tina and Sam. But we had our first conversation about a couple of days later. I was waiting for Tina at this bar, and he was there again. We started talking after some sort of saving the damsel in distress kind of scenario actually. He really was quite the gentleman."

Quinn nodded and encouraged her to carry on.

"He's the guy who called at the office that day, the same goofy man who screwed up the date. You've met him before Q, it's the onw whom I ran into while Brittany was at that filmmakers' event last weekend."

"I see that you're still smitten by Mr. accident prone."

"It's crazy right? Like I wouldn't even give somebody else the time of day if they screwed up as badly as he did. And yet, with him, I still do."

"Finally." Quinn said in a careless whisper.

"Excuse me?" Rachel looked up at her friend who had now leaned back in her seat, taking in all that has happened to the brunette.

"People are always so convinced that there will always be someone else better out there. So they spend a long time searching for that someone. You were one of them Rach. And I don't know, I guess because you've been so sure that you'd never find it, so you kind of just gave up. But when you found the one, and I'm hoping that this man is, you'll stop looking. You stop wishing for a better one because you realized you found the best."

"Woah, talk about jumping in too quickly for something that I'm not even sure of."

"No, Rach. You are sure. You just need to admit to yourself that you are. Knowing you, that might take a while." Quinn said with a teasing smile that mirrored her boyfriend's from before. This earned a gentle smack from her colleague.

"So what's his name?" Quinn continued.

"Finn Hudson."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, well. I guess so." Quinn was looking at her strangely, her brows furrowed at the information of his name. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's just that –" The woman got up to walk over to her desk. She took a post-it that was stuck on the partition and brought the sticky note to her friend.

On that little piece of paper, was the name of the man whom Rachel's been looking forward to meeting since the call.

"I don't get it." Rachel said.

"I got tipped off by the DJ this morning that Finn was the man who arranged that little saga for Artie Abrams yesterday. Or, at least he was the one who requested if they could schedule Artie to perform the final number."

Rachel looked at the name on the paper in her hands again.

"So that's why I found his name familiar." Quinn said out loud to herself.

In that moment, the intercom on her desk phone sounded and Will Schuester requested to see Rachel. Still refusing to believe the insight she just received, she tucked the note into her pockets and made her way to her boss' office.

As she climbed her way up the winding stairs, she started to question herself, reminiscing over every detail she could recall. Nothing seemed too significant to her, besides the fact that he was lip-syncing to the number. Then again, so was she and everyone else who knew the song. She'd just have to figure it out later.

Knocking on the door once, she let herself in.

"Will, two meetings in a day? You're going to fire me or something?" She asked cheerily, hoping to block out the confusion that was bubbling in her head.

He had just gotten off the phone and instructed her to take a seat.

"There's a scoop on Brittany Pierce's new man. I need you to work on it tonight. Apparently there's someone by the name of –"

"Finn Hudson." She said in a soft voice.

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, yeah. Wait, how did –"

She gulped. Thankfully, due to her job experience, she was quite the pro in salvaging confusion. She was always the fast thinker so she came up for the best possible solution in that moment.

"I'm already one step ahead of you." She dug into her pockets and retrieved the little information. "I've arranged a meeting with him tonight."

"Aren't you just the workaholic?" Will asked, impressed that Rachel was already one step ahead of things. But he knew there was something she was hiding.

She may have been able to pull a fast one on him, but there was a reason why he became in charge of a gossip magazine. He was able to smell secrets so quick; it became a hindrance to his personal life sometimes. Things weren't as simple as it looked.

"That's why you hired me isn't it? Don't worry Will, I know what to do." She tried to smile and reassure him and herself that she would not allow her personal issues distract her from her job anymore.

"So this is going to be a date?"

"No, this is going to be a work date. There's a difference."

"Right, and it's a date that looks like a date but in fact, it isn't because it's about work?"

"Exactly. Look, if you're not convinced, you can join us. You wouldn't be interfering because it's NOT a date. We're catching Wicked at the Gerswhin Theatre tonight."

Will Schuester folded his arms as he watched her dismiss herself.

"I'm sure." He said to himself with a knowing smile.

There wasn't any possible way for Rachel Berry to hide what was going on. Because of the way she worked and the amount of time she spent working, everyone in the office knew how she was. When something as queer as Finn Hudson's appearance had the ability to change her in the strangest manner, he could tell. Everyone in the office could tell.

Will Schuester was damn sure that he would appear at the show tonight. Not because he wanted to ensure that she was doing her job. It was because he wanted to meet the man who could change someone as stubborn as Rachel Berry. He managed to distract her from work. Now he would most definitely be an eye opener.

* * *

><p>Finn straightened his tie as he waited for her on 51st. He hadn't really seen a musical on a date before, so this was a first for him. He had to look his best.<p>

At the corner of his eye, he saw her, dawned in a sky blue dress that that ended just beneath her knees. It flowed gracefully with her, as she made her way towards him. Her hair was tied in a side bun, and he was sure that tonight she was the prettiest lady he had ever laid eyes on. Or maybe, he will ever lay eyes on.

"You look really pretty today." He said, suddenly shy about her presence.

"Thank you." She blushed at his compliment. He offered her hand and took it. _Screw my mission_, she thought to herself when she came into contact with him. She'd deal with it when the show's over. Right now, it was going to be her and Finn.

Fate had other plans for this couple though. Because as they let themselves in, there stood her boss, William Schuester and his wife Emma Schuester.

After enjoying her five-minute bliss with Finn, she was met with reality. And there he was, waving for her attention.

"Rach, do you know that guy?"

"Yeah. I hope you're ready for some endless questioning cause that's my boss over there."

"You seriously never stop working do you?"

She looked at him meekly. "Guilty as charge. Are you okay with this?"

"Sure. I mean he's just another person. I'm pretty sure now that you're out of the office, he doesn't consider you as an employee. He probably wished you wouldn't see him as your boss, but a friend anyway."

She looked up at his innocence. Maybe he was just helping out a friend in vain. It wasn't possible that he had a secret up his sleeve. It was unlikely that this was the same man who kept such an important detail from her when he knew about her job.

* * *

><p>Chapter 16 with 17 in tow! I hope nobody's too disappointed that this has taken a long while. I guess I might have been a little ambitious, starting two fanfics at the same time! Been working on these two bad boys all day yesterday, sleeping at 4am when it was nearly completed! Anyhow, do hope that you'll enjoy this! Some of you have been guessing the musical they were about to see, and well, I certainly was tossing up the suggestions! I guess, because of how excited I am to watch Wicked tmr, hopefully, you're still okay with my choice! :') Have a beautiful day to all you beautiful ones!<p>

Sarasetif, Finnchell and GeekyGleek, AHH! I was really hoping that you guys weren't too disappointed with Mike. He's only going to be playing a small role in this story though, so don't take it too hard yeah? Mike's definitely a much better character in my other story, so hopefully you'd be okay with how he's coming off here. So terribly sorry for making him seem like the very horrible guy in here. Nevertheless, you guys are still amazing for being so encouraging! :')

Mandy-twinkletoes, AHHH! Because you're the smart gleek, which is why it's only right that I dedicate the chapter to you darling! Well, two-in-one for you, so I'm hoping that you haven't died waiting or anything! (Not that my story can kill you anyway, because there's so many better ones out there) Much love from me to you dear!

AWESOMEME67, jellybeangirl9792, noro and Supercyke HAI HAI HAI! YAY! At least you guys are still enjoying this so far! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the eternal support! Honestly, you guys are just so awesome! I hope these two chapters would keep that anticipation for more to come :')

PerfectFinchel, AHH! YAY! You are just too sweet for words! I take comfort in how awesome your tumblr is as well, so THANK YOU for bringing me such joy with the Glee updates you post there!

PaochiCute, I was actually considering to put How to Succeed, but I really don't have any knowledge about that musical, so I just thought it may be a little risky to add one that I'm not familiar with. If you read the next chapter after this, you'll see that there's another reason why I added Wicked in! Have a wonderful day darling, you are being thought of :)


	17. Ch 17 The Best One

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"Rachel!" Will called her and she begrudgingly turned them towards the older couple. She sort of had this conflict of interests in terms of wanting her boss to come tonight. She wanted him to know that she was a professional. She wouldn't allow anything or anyone to distract her from her job, despite the incident from the previous night, of course. And yet, she wanted tonight to belong to her and Finn.<p>

"Will, let me introduce to you Finn Hudson. Finn's a consultant. And Finn, this is William Schuester, my boss of the heck of a job you claim that I can never escape from."

Finn laughed at the introduction Rachel made.

"Don't listen to her Finn. I treat all of my employees equally. This woman here, just have an allergy towards breaks."

"I'd say." Finn remarked lightheartedly as he shook his hand.

"Now do you see why I wouldn't want you to meet my boss?" Rachel pointed out, earning an easy round of laughter.

"Finn, this is my wife, Emma. She's a psychiatrist." Will Schuester gestured the woman beside him.

"Well I think that's my cue for keeping my mouth shut from now on." The tall man replied jokingly because he already found the older woman pleasant. She had auburn hair that stood out against her fair skin, completed with a kind smile as she shook Finn's hand.

"It's nice to meet you Finn."

Will shot knowing looks at his employee. She hid her face behind the clutch she had.

"Not now!" She mouthed to him, hoping that he wouldn't push into the matter.

Ignoring her plea, Will returned his gaze to the tall date of Rachel Berry's. "So what is it that you do exactly?"

"People come to me for advice, and I guess I just deliver the most truthful answer that I can give."

"But what is it that you really give advice on?" Will pushed further.

"Well, I'm not at liberty to disclose any of that information. I mean the relationship I have with my clients, there's that mutual trust between the two parties right?"

Will nodded and opened his mouth again. But before he could speak up, Rachel interrupted him,

"Will!" She exclaimed. Her boss certainly was taking this a little too far. To take things into her own hands, just as how she was supposed to, she turned to Finn.

"There is something that I want to ask you Finn."

He turned to look at her, his eyes still holding unto that innocence from before. He gave her a small smile that she couldn't resist reciprocating.

"I heard from Quinn that you know Artie Abrams?"

"That's crazy." This has never happened before, but he kept his cool. He was not about to reveal himself from the girl he was still trying hard to impress.

"Oh, so you know Brittany Pierce then?"

Will feigned shock. He dropped his mouth open. "Really? The renowned dancer Brittany Pierce?"

"I –"

"I am honestly very surprised." Emma spoke up amidst the commotion.

"Usually with these two around, everyone would be such name droppers, hoping to get credit for the most insignificant information they have. And here you are, keeping quiet about your relationships with these well-known public figures of the city. You're a good friend Finn."

Then, ushers started to chase the mingling people into the theatre. Finn heaved a sigh of relief from his close call as he took his seats with Rachel at a different section as her employer.

The brunette stayed quiet, and it got him worried. As the lights dimmed, he attempted a save.

"You okay Rach?"

"All profession aside, I'd just have to say that what you did there was pretty cool."

He couldn't make out her face, but when he saw the preview of her teeth, his heart swelled with pride. And with that, their fourth official date began.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the middle of Act II, he sneaked another glance at her. It was so adorable of the tiny brunette to be that soaked into a performance. During the entire show, she had been on the edge of her seat, and her lips moved along to every lyric of the songs performed. When the characters were happy, so was she. When Elphaba was misunderstood, there was grief registered on her face.<p>

He shook his head and returned his gaze towards the front. He definitely had to start paying attention to the storyline lest he had nothing to talk about once the show ended.

She knew every scene by heart. So when it came to the part that led to one of her favorite songs, she looked towards his quiet face.

_Kiss me too fiercely_  
><em>Hold me too tight<em>  
><em>I need help believing<em>  
><em>You're with me tonight<em>  
><em>My wildest dreamings<em>  
><em>Could not foresee<em>  
><em>Lying beside you<em>  
><em>With you wanting me<em>

_Just for this moment_  
><em>As long as you're mine<em>  
><em>I've lost all resistance<em>  
><em>And crossed some borderline<em>  
><em>And if it turns out<em>  
><em>It's over too fast<em>  
><em>I'll make every last moment last<em>  
><em>As long as you're mine<em>

He turned to her and saw her looking back at him. He started to smile.

_Maybe I'm brainless_  
><em>Maybe I'm wise<em>  
><em>But you've got me seeing<em>  
><em>Through different eyes<em>  
><em>Somehow I've fallen<em>  
><em>Under your spell<em>  
><em>And somehow I'm feeling<em>  
><em>It's 'up' that I fell<em>

Elphaba and Fiyero started to sing in unison for the next line. He saw her wrist hanging at the edge of her seat handle. So he reached over to grab the delicate things. Wrapping her left hand with his palms, he kissed the mesh of fingers. Then, ever so quietly, she laid her head on his shoulders and he sunk back into the rapture.

_Every moment_  
><em>As long as you're mine<em>  
><em>I'll wake up my body<em>  
><em>And make up for lost time<em>

_Say there's no future_  
><em>For us as a pair<em>  
><em>And though I may know<em>  
><em>I don't care<em>

_Just for this moment_  
><em>As long as you're mine<em>  
><em>Come be how you want to<em>  
><em>And see how bright we shine<em>  
><em>Borrow the moonlight<em>  
><em>Until it is through<em>  
><em>And know I'll be here holding you<em>  
><em>As long as you're mine<em>

He felt her squeeze his hands, and as the same time as Fiyero said his lines, Finn whispered, "What is it?"

If it was possible, she was certain that her heart stopped beating. He quoted from her favorite musical without even realizing so. Finn Hudson was the best one Quinn was talking about earlier in the day. But due to this sudden awakening from the truth, she couldn't find the strength to talk. So Rachel Berry shook her head and turned away.

The ending line of the number was said, and she couldn't help but relish in the chessiness of everything. It was exactly what she was going through in her mind, could she be blamed for enjoying it despite how corny it was?

_"It's just for the first time, I feel – wicked."_

You know how, the tiniest thing can produce the loudest sound? How ironic a silence can be very deafening, or how thunderous a pin drop can be? So she wondered if he could hear the thumping heart trapped in her chest. Because she was convinced that it was the loudest sound she had ever heard.

* * *

><p>When the show ended, all Rachel thought of was whisking Finn faraway from the theatre as possible. She didn't want Will to be questioning him any longer. She didn't care that Finn withheld secrets from her. All she wanted was to savor the night that originally belonged to them.<p>

Pulling him away from the building, she guided them into a little diner along the street.

"I think we're safe here." She said breathlessly as they slid into a booth.

"Rach? Is something wrong?"

She looked at him, flushed with awkwardness. "I just, I just didn't want Will to you know…"

"That's okay. I was a little bummed that we saw him too. I thought we'd have to join them for a meal after the show or something. Don't get me wrong they seem pretty cool. Unless you hate them, otherwise I'd totally detest them too. But I just sort of hoped that tonight could be about –"

"Us." She completed his sentence with a gentle smile. She bit the corner of her lips and looked through the menu. Holding it up, she gawked silently to herself at how fast her face was heating up with the things he had said. This was not good. In fact, it was becoming from bad to worse.

The waitress came by with two glasses of water and a notepad in her hand, ready to take their orders. Rachel smacked herself behind the menu, causing their server to look strangely at her.

"I'll have a veggie burger." She said curtly avoiding the weird glances shot at her.

"And I'll have the cheeseburger. Thank you." He said politely and the woman walked away.

"Come to think of it, this is the first real meal we're having together isn't it?" She questioned.

His eyes widened in fear. A diner shouldn't be a place you take your first dates to. Most certainly not first dinner dates with someone like Rachel Berry who deserves to be in a better place than a claustrophobic booth.

"Rach, we should go someone else. I want our first dinner date to be you know, someplace nice."

She giggled at him. "Finn, that's okay. Trust me, if anything's going to happen to us, and seriously, it's us. So that's an affirmative. At least we wouldn't be embarrassing ourselves in a room filled with arrogant people if we leave to go someplace nicer."

"You're amazing you know that." He said fondly as he reached out for her hand that was resting on the table. "I mean, how awesome you are being cool with whole waking up in the wee morning, bowling and now diner dates."

"You're not so bad yourself Hudson." Then she retrieved her hand and slipped it under the table. She didn't want him to be grossed out by the trickling sweats of excitement that was starting to form in her palms.

When she wiggled her fingers out of his grip, he couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment. Still, he kept his head and attempted to lighten the atmosphere.

"So is Wicked your favorite musical?"

She nodded excitedly and he got back to feeling okay around her.

"Believe it or not, I have actually seen the musical for more than 10 times. I mean, I know every song by heart!"

"No kidding, you were certainly bewitched."

"Oh god Finn. Seriously? That was pretty much the lamest thing a guy has ever said to me."

"I've got a goofy sense of humor all right?"

"I'd say. No wonder you hadn't always been so great with the ladies. It's your corny jokes."

This made him think about Santana Lopez again. And he pushed his drink slightly away from him.

"Did I hit a bad bone?" She asked softly, observing the sudden change in facial expressions.

He gave her a small smile, but after knowing him for a while now, this was the saddest she had seen him. Her heart went out to him. He probably hadn't had it all together in his past.

"Nah, that's okay." He said gently. "You didn't know anyway."

"Finn, if you don't want to talk about it, we can always talk about something else."

"That's okay. I mean it's not that big a deal actually. And it's pretty clichéd in my opinion. I dated a girl who was too good for me, and one day I caught her making out with someone else. True to Hollywood storylines, I just had to find out in the stinking rain, so by the time I got home I was drenched."

"That must have hurt." She rubbed his knuckles tenderly.

"That's okay. I mean, I'm a better person now I guess. So it's all good."

"Well, she was a bitch. I mean, I don't know who she is. But at least I know enough to say that she wasn't worth it because nobody should hurt you like that. I kinda regretted meeting you in all honesty, because if I ever hurt you in any ways like that, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Aw, now aren't you just the sweetest?"

Their food had arrived within seconds and the couple began to dig in.

The conversation between them during the meal was lighter than before, much to Finn's delight. He had learned some personal stuff about Rachel Berry. Like how she got the nickname 'Raspberry' because she was convinced as a toddler that it was her rightful name since she couldn't pronounce Rachel Berry then. Kids really are the silliest little things eh? He'd laugh at the funny stories of her life and so would she as to his share.

In fact, following up to their date at the bowling alley, he took a preference to the one they had right now. Because of the number of times they'd already spent together, he didn't feel as nervous as he did during the first time. All that fear of performing well was cast away, and tonight they were focused on being that confident two beings when they met. Of course, with the little inside jokes they shared, it just made everything seem better.

After an hour of silly jokes and mindless laughter, Rachel wiped the tear that spewed out of her eye.

"Finn, you got to stop it. This is so embarrassing. I can't believe I'm actually crying from how hilarious it is."

He chuckled at how red her face had gotten from the funny incident he had just told. Just as he prepared himself to launch into another good joke, a group of delinquent misfits passed their table. And there was nothing he could do to stop a cup of icy drink from meeting his face.

She froze in her seat when she saw the cold slushie drink flew into his eyes. The culprit responsible for this action looked apologetic, but only stayed so for a second. There was a roar of laughter that went around the group and waiters came up to the commotion.

Finn stayed in his seat. It was probably the worst sensation he had ever experienced. That was probably why the Titanic crashed and burned, because hitting ice was just the absolute hardest, coldest, worst feeling ever registered to him. He was shivering in his seat, too struck down by the temperature. Rachel scrambled out of her seat and used his jacket to wipe away the moist.

Tissues were supplied by surrounding patrons, but it wasn't enough. She needed to get him dried up fast before he caught a cold. So when the owner of the place came up to the couple, announcing for their meal to be on the house, she led him out and back to her apartment.

The night was quiet, whispering its breeze into the ears of pedestrians. He couldn't stop trembling every time it did so. But as she slowly led him up to her humble abode, the one that she never readily opened up to, the chills entered his skin. Stepping into the warm environment, he wondered if it was a metaphor for her allowing him to enter her heart.

* * *

><p>Chapter 17! And the song is with from the Wicked Soundtrack, "As Long As You're Mine" Lovely lovely song really :')<p>

And ohmygoodness, how awesome was the most recent Glee episode? It got me bawling my eyes out because of so many aspects that I'm dealing with right now, in which I can relate to. But Finchel was just epic. Simply more epic than The First Time in my opinion. (How creepy is it that "Without You" is playing on my iTunes right now?) Hope all of you will be some what satisified with what I've done so far!

PS, true to glee tradition, slushie facials! :')


	18. Ch 18 The Events After

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>The key turned to unlock the space she hid herself in most of the time when she wasn't working. It was where she felt safe and fine by herself. In fact, as often as she could, she'd avoid inviting Tina and Quinn over too. It wasn't because she hated the presence of others. Rachel Berry just found a quiet delight in being alone. Tonight, however, wasn't one of those nights.<p>

As she twisted the small but powerful metal thing in her hand, she gulped with fretfulness. Without a doubt, Finn needed to get himself cleaned up and this was the best solution she could think of. However, she failed to realize a flaw in her plan. He'd have to freshen up, and that meant having to spend the night whilst waiting for his garments to dry up from the ice. This may not be good.

When the couple stepped into the room, everything seemed to slow down from the chain of events that happened since the diner fiasco. He continued rubbing his eyes while she busied herself in the bedroom, hoping to ease the burning sensation heating up his vision. It didn't help.

"Here, why don't you change into this?" She brought out an oversized polo tee and he wondered his thoughts out loud about having an item of the opposite gender in her home.

"My dads can be a little forgetful when they come over sometimes. I wear their clothes occasionally, if that doesn't make me sound a little weird." Her face winced, afraid that his impression of her might change now that he was exposed to her personal life. "I just feel more comfortable sleeping in oversized tees."

He smiled and nodded while she excused herself into the bathroom this time. As he slipped over the white shirt against his freezing body, he glanced around the room. When he was sure that she was out of his sight, he sniffed the collars of the garment. Indeed, it smelled like Rachel. He took a second whiff before stopping himself from the growing addiction.

As he waited for her to return, he took the time to observe her living room now that the initial shock was starting to subside. The couch he was seated on was pushed back against a wide window that stretched across the entire room. The positions of the remaining furniture was bare and minimal, but in a way, perfect to the description of Rachel Berry's character. She wasn't a complicated woman, saying things as it is and unafraid to share her opinions on things. She had nothing to hide.

He saw scented candles, displayed on shelves, explaining the light raspberry scent that wavered around the room. It calmed his senses unknowingly and he started to smile at how very much the room screamed her name.

"Finn, get in here when you're done changing." Her voice instructed in a soft echo from the bathroom. And so he got up, and made his way towards the owner of the house.

Her back was hunched towards the tub, and her hands busied with the water hose. She turned to look, sensing his presence, as it was difficult for him to move about quietly when he was pretty big.

She reached out for the slushie drenched dress shirt that he had in his hands, and threw it into the tub that was already wet from the water she had on. Rachel Berry beckoned for her guest to join her on the cold bathroom tiles.

He slid into a cross-legged position, and tilted his head back so that the ends of the tub supported it. Her delicate fingers combed through his hair and it tickled him. At this point, he wasn't sure if it had been the sudden cold water in his hair or the fact that she was being so gentle with him.

"How are you feeling now?" The tone of her voice had reflected her behavior.

"Well, getting ice in your eyes and face isn't the most pleasant thing ever, that's for sure."

"Maybe I shouldn't have wished for karma to get back at you for hitting me in the face with the oar. I mean I'm pretty sure this is worse." She replied, recalling how the end of their first date also involved a hard impact on her face.

"Well, I certainly got what I deserved then."

She had a carefree laugh as she continued rinsing out the icy bites tangled in his hair. In doing so, her fingers graced his scalp, and the gentle strokes got him tingling.

"I'd have to say that you're pretty good at this. Got your fair share of slushie facials I see?" He asked teasingly.

She giggled and didn't give a reply. Minutes later, when she was convinced that he was free of the sugary drink, she turned the tap off and rested her back against the tub beside him. They sighed in unison, finally having the chance to take a breather after the hectic events they've just gone through.

"Sorry for the trouble."

She turned to face him and gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it. You didn't want it to happen anyway."

The tip of his ears turned pink with embarrassment and he didn't know what to say next. Fortunately, she chased him out of the white tiled room, explaining that she would join him in after her bath. So he nodded and retreated to the comfort of his temporary stay.

* * *

><p>The room was dim, lights emitting from the scented candles, which now produced a stronger fragrance than before. It was dark, and a queer quietness murmured into the dark room. She tucked the man in, who was now resting on the couch.<p>

"Mommy Rach." He teased, earning a smile from the woman.

"This is some place you got here. Do you like living alone?" He continued asking as she settled herself at the other end of the sofa.

"Yeah, I actually prefer it that way. Maybe I'm just used to being alone since I'm an only child. Do you have any siblings?" Grabbing an extra cushion, she hugged the pillow close to her chest; digging her toes into the comforter he had that shielded him from the breeze. Her toes bumped against his, but he didn't budge, so the smile she had grew wider.

"Yeah, a brother, Kurt; lives in DC with my parents."

"Younger right?"

His raised his eyebrows in amusement. So she backed up her theory, "I could hear it in your voice. Sort of an innate protective thing."

"I guess." His eyes lost its focus and she looked at him, quiet and understanding.

"He was bullied in high school. A lot. He was just different from the rest of the guys. And when he came out, it was hell." He paused after saying that. People just didn't get his brother sometimes. But Rachel was cool about it.

"I've got two dads too." She explained when the stop in his words broke his sentence. He smiled and continued on.

"Anyway, when he came out, the bullying got worse. He had to transfer to another school for a while and it killed me that I didn't do anything to stop it from happening. I guess; he was happier in the new school, found the love of his life there. But I don't think I've ever really forgiven myself you know?"

"It kinda defines you doesn't it?" She asked quietly.

He nodded and continued, "One moment everything doesn't seem to matter but when it does, it takes over who you are, and what you will become. Then, the next thing you know, you're standing in the rain, watching your life fall apart."

She knew he was talking about the lost love he once shared with someone else, and her heart went out to him.

Rachel saw his arm resting beside his body. Inching her way closer, she shifted from her position, just so that she could hold his hand. "I guess sometimes, it's just better not to fall in love, right?"

"I guess. So you ever had that problem too Rach?" He asked, his eyes now beginning to look droopy.

"It's not as dramatic as finding out under the rain, but I have gotten my heart broken before." Upon hearing that, his thumb stroked the back of her palm and she gripped his hand tighter than she did at the theatre.

"I hope that you wouldn't give up on love though. I mean, no matter how bad it was; you should never give up on love. Because it's the only thing that would make this world a better place."

She had to smile at his innocence yet again. "And how would you know? You of all people should be pretty resentful, having that horrible experience etched in your memory."

"I thought I had given up on it too." His voice was now getting drowsier by the minute. "But recently, I found myself believing in it again."

"Yeah?" Her voice was quiet in the dark night. Soft breaths emitted from the man, and she thought that he had fallen asleep without hearing her reply. So she stood up to blow out the light source of the living room. Smoke fizzled into the air, and Rachel Berry took her departure.

"Because I met you."

Her heart soared at his whispered answer. She turned to look at the lump in her couch that was Finn Hudson. His silhouette against the night view of New York City sent chills down her spine.

Making her way over, there was that rapid heartbeat again, and if he hadn't heard it during the musical, she was sure that he could hear it right now. This time, she didn't care.

Pulling the comforter until it ended beneath his chin, Rachel kneeled down and went for a wild instinct to stroke his cheek. Her fingers ran up his face, circling his forehead a couple of times before combing into his hair.

"Good night Finny." She murmured close to his cheek, leading up to a soft peck on his temple. "Sweet dreams." The brunette had every intention to leave after doing so. However, as she lingered to watch his chest rise and fall to the light breathing, she couldn't help herself.

Tonight, the hours of darkness was bedazzled by the natural twinkling lights. It was breathtaking and Rachel Berry thought that it might actually be the most perfect night ever. She didn't want to ruin her magical evening by retiring to her separated bedroom.

So she dug her hands into the comforter. Her fingers slid under his arm, and she smiled as it wrapped themselves around his muscles. Pulling it as close as she could to herself, she delivered another kiss on the limb. Then, sleep stole her consciousness.

* * *

><p>Daybreak crawled into the living room. The morning rays shone unto her face and she growled at the greeting of a new day. Rubbing the grogginess out of her eyes, she stretched her arms over her head.<p>

"Finny?" She called out. A yawn escaped from her lips, and she called out for him again. Blinking back the sunlight, she realized that he wasn't around. Sighing, she shoved her head back into the couch and grumbled into the seats.

How could she have been so stupid to believe that he would stay? It might as well be. Every time she met the perfect man, he'd run out just when she was ready to open herself up to him. In the midst of lecturing herself with these mental thoughts, Rachel Berry failed to hear the clanking of dishes from the kitchen.

"Babe?" His voice echoed in a distance and she swallowed with anxiety. Slowly rotating her head, there stood the man in his boxers and polo tee whom she thought had already left.

"You all right?" He walked over and crouched down to meet her current height. She nodded and a boyish grin surfaced beneath his eyes. He tucked the messy ends of her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek.

"Why don't you go wash up, and I'll finish up in the kitchen?"

Her eyes turned round with confusion and he gave a gentle chuckle at the face before him. "I made breakfast, as a form of thank you for putting me up."

Sensing that his pancakes were about done, he gave her a fast kiss on the nose before getting back to work.

She watched him for a minute while he moved around her kitchen as though he had been here a thousand times. Frankly, she was also pretty amazed by the fact that he knew how to cook when she hardly used the kitchen herself. Did she even have pancake batter? Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she headed for the bathroom to do his biding.

When she made the first step into the clean white toilet, she saw the shirt, which made the night before happened. Now dry from being hung on the bathroom rod for a good couple of hours, she retrieved the garment.

Folding it into a neat square, like those you see in the shops, she hummed with joy at the good feeling. Waking up hadn't been her favorite activity, but when you fall asleep with that one person's face in your dreams and the same one in front of you when you open your eyes again, you know you've got something special.

Within minutes, she was out into the living room again. Well, who could find fault with her fastest washing up time ever when you've got Finn Hudson in the other room? The aroma of pancakes filled her nostrils and she was hooked.

He sensed her presence, and turned to look. A smile so blinding amongst the both of them was shared and he beckoned for her to join him.

* * *

><p>They stepped out of her apartment building and hit the streets.<p>

"Beautiful morning, beautiful girl." He commented and her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Thank you."

Sighing that the day had to end due to reality calls, he said, "Well I'm this way."

Pointing to a different direction, she let out a bittersweet sigh. "I'm that way." He gave a tiny nod and she continued, "Give me a ring sometimes. I mean, on the phone."

"For sure."

"Well –" She looked up at him, and his face was looking down at her. An interesting silence surrounded them and he started to lean in. She smiled at the initiative and reciprocated. His arm went around her shoulders and hers roped his waist.

When the lips were met, she closed her eyes to the truth she could no longer hide. If anyone could make her believe in love again, her reason would be Finn Hudson too. His kiss was soft and light, just like the carefree beginning of their relationship.

When he tasted that bit of her, he smiled into the meshing. It was the best feeling he had, right above the soar in his heart whenever he held her hands.

They broke apart, and she smiled. "Well, you need to go." Then, she moved away from the embrace they shared. Finn, however, had a different plan.

He refused to release her fingers, which were still interlocked despite her breaking apart their close contact. With him putting on a pout, she couldn't resist.

"Aw, okay. But just one more."

He smiled like a child in Disneyland and pulled her closer.

* * *

><p>Chapter 18! And in here, you'd more or less see the obvious references to Hitch! I hope everyone's had a splendid weekend, which just ended! It's been a little busy here in the Asian community, so for anyone from this part of the world, Happy Chinese New Year! I've been so busy visiting houses that I only managed to finish this when I woke up extra early to complete it! Hope everyone's enjoying their first actual kiss in here :')<p>

Finnchell, noro, jellybeangirl9792, bananappancakes, Supabec, CarCarBeepBrrom, AWESOMEME67 who is now Lovetheday, laylita83, taralynnn x and PaochiCute HAI HAI HAI! YAY! You guys are still loving it despite the slushie facial! It kinda was a build up towards this scene, and I wanted it be similar to that of the movie but gleeked it up a notch! Epic finchel proposal is EPIC though! Had been re watching that scene for so many times, I think I've lost count! But anyhow, all of you are just so damn precious to me, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mandy-twinkletoes, Sweetheart, finally the kiss you've been waiting for! Hope I didn't disappoint you :)

Finchel21, Honey, oh how have I missed you so very dearly! Glad to see you catching up on what you've missed though! But never apologize ever for not being able to be around yeah? You'd never be forgotten because I couldn't even if I wanted to :)

And WELCOME! To brookedavis23! Ohmygosh, there was this pressure that I had when you said that, but in a good way of course. Trust me honey, there are so many brilliant fanfics out there, mine doesn't even begin to compare with the amazing ones. Seriously! But anyhow, you are so dear to be letting me know about how you feel, so ramble on! I have an unhealthy addiction for it actually :') Stick around and I'll try not to disappoint! :')


	19. Ch 19 The Surprised One

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>The leaves rustled on the path, and a slight breeze hushed into their ears. As Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry broke apart from each other, the brunette licked her lips, already wanting a piece of the aftertaste that is Finn Hudson. Smiling shyly after a glance of his puppy dog eyes, she cupped his cheek.<p>

"Now you really have to go."

Reality beckons for his existence, so with that, he stepped down from the minutes of heaven. "Bye." He had said softly, delivering a light peck on her cheek. And with that, they took their departure.

Rachel Berry stepped out of the bubble, returning to her world as well. Taking a few steps down the road, she sneaked a look, seeing that he had turned for her at the same time.

A slight nod was seen, and she allowed her eyes to tear away from the sight of her man. Whistling, she headed for the café that Tina had arranged for their meeting. Due to the fact that she was lost again, in the sea of memories from the previous night, Rachel Berry failed to notice the scowl on her best friend's face.

"Isn't this a beautiful day Tina?" She looked dreamily into the distance.

"Beautiful my ass."

The grunt deported her back. "What's wrong?" She asked; sweeping the hair that was blocking her friend's face. Pulling away the curtain of loose ends, it revealed a blotched-eye face, with cheeks as red as the cherries from last season.

"I've never seen a person get dressed that quickly. And how fast his feet could carry him out the door."

Rachel Berry bit her lip with understanding. She didn't want to ruin the day further for her best friend by saying the wrong things, so she chose to remain quiet.

"And you know what got to me before he left? It wasn't how fast he bolted out of the room. It was what he said."

"And what was that honey?"

"Date doctor, my ass."

"Oh."

"Do you know what this means Rach? It means that he's really out there. He really exists."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rachel asked sympathetically.

"Yeah, Wipe him out. Wipe the entire community if you can. I'm sick of men."

"You know I can't. I got to be superwoman for that." Trying to ease her friend into comfort, Rachel attempted a light-hearted joke, which apparently had no use.

"Then hold me." Tina had said, her lips quivering and she was at the brink of breaking down.

"Come here."

As she held the weeping girl in her arms, Rachel Berry made a resolution to take him down.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so you cool about tomorrow afternoon?" Finn had asked his client. It was time for the last stage. The point in time where Finn knew it would be too soon before he had to bid a bittersweet farewell to another client. It was a pity that this job was ending soon. He really was beginning to take a liking towards Artie Abrams.<p>

"Finn. I've got this." The man replied, now more confident than Finn had ever seen him. He was proud of how much more courage Artie possessed as compared to their first meeting.

"Well, then I've got nothing more left to teach you."

Artie nodded, equally proud of himself for learning so much within the time he had spent with Finn. He really ought to repay him somehow.

"Finn, I know how we're strictly just 'business' but is it okay if I ask you something personal?"

"Sure."

"Who's that girl you were with that night?"

There are certain things in life that would make you smile. When you receive a compliment from a complete stranger, when you receive presents, when you're doing something you love. And then, there are certain people in your life that would make you smile the second someone mentions his/her name. That's just how the way it works. People and things can make you happy. So when Artie Abrams mentioned Rachel Berry, there goes the life in Finn Hudson's eyes, lighting up with all the energy he got.

"Rachel. Rachel Berry. She's a reporter."

"You two looked cute together that night."

"Yeah?"

Nodding, Artie continued. "You like her don't you?"

When Finn didn't reply, Artie continued. "I see it when you look at her. It's the same way when I look at Brittany too."

Finn remained quiet but smiled, knowing that he had surrendered to his theories.

"Will she be present at the event tomorrow too?"

"Yeah."

"So you're going to be there too then?"

Finn looked at Artie, and knew the danger they were putting themselves into again. However, seeing that the previous situation when both men had to be incognito was successful, they shouldn't have any problem in pretending tomorrow either.

"So are you ready?" Finn asked for the final time, raising his hand, as all men do when they wanted to shake on things.

"Let's do this!"

The event in which Artie Abrams would ask for Brittany's permission to bring their friendship to the next level has officially commenced.

* * *

><p>It was a bright morning, the wonderful sort of day that overshadowed a good day for everyone, unless you're the type who hated sunlight. Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry looked up into the clear blue skies and smiled at the wind. What they didn't know that sometimes in life, as beautiful as the morning greeting was, it might not necessarily mean a peaceful day.<p>

They started out good though. Because when he picked her up from her place, she was dressed in one of her prettiest outfits. After all, it was going to be an important event. He was handsome in a blazer and expensive jeans. The kind that people tended to spend a little too much over. As the couple arrived at the event, photographers almost forgot about Rachel Berry's motive for coming. She wasn't any celebrity, just here for her job. Although, the way these two were dressed, they might as well have been two people who stepped out of a magazine cover.

Tina was present too, not really understanding why Rachel invited her but I'm sure you know why. Rachel wanted to make her feel better after that horrible incident. Her workload recently has taken a toll on her; she actually found it amazing how she managed to balance her time between Finn and the office. So, when the event today arose, she did the best she could; combining her love life, friends and work in the same event.

After a brief round of introduction, Finn, due to nature's call, left the two girls behind.

"So how are you holding up?" Rachel asked.

"What do you think?"

"Come on, don't be such a party pooper. I'm sure there are at least ten guys here today that would die to go out for you."

"Could you kill them for me then?"

"I could try."

Sighing, Tina didn't have the mood to smile at Rachel's joke. "So how's the search for this date doctor?"

"I'm this close to tracking him down. Had to get Sam to be my wingman though. But we've arranged to meet him tomorrow afternoon. So cross your fingers that I can nail this."

Holding up her fingers, Tina felt slightly better; giving a small smile that calmed Rachel too. Then, a man caught the Asian girl's eyes. A wave of confidence washed over her, and she walked briskly towards the subject.

"Hey!" She yelled, demanding his attention by pulling him around so that he could face her instead of his back. His eyes widened with shock and a tinge of embarrassment for she was certainly getting some unwanted attention.

"My eyes are up here!" She pointed into the iris and he looked, unsure of what she had to say.

"I am a person with feelings. Get out of my grill! I am a powerful woman and my growing feminism will cut you in half like a righteous blade of equality."

Then, her eyes widened, only registering at that moment, she had allowed her fury to overpower her words. Walking away, she headed for the drinks table, knowing that alcohol would be the only thing that could ease that impromptu rant.

She panted, letting out quick breaths as she steadied her hands for a refill.

"That was pretty good what you did there." A voice sounded, and she whipped her head around.

Wincing, "Yeah? It wasn't a bit too much?"

"No way. That was awesome."

"Thank you. He was an ass anyway. Guess he deserved it."

"I'll say."

Tina started to smile at the kind stranger. Extending her hand, she introduced herself. "I'm Tina, and you are…"

"Oh sorry. How awfully rude of me, I'm –" Then, a voice sounded, yelling for the man's presence. So, he excused himself after delivering a polite nod.

* * *

><p>"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for attending the benefit. It truly has been an honor, serving for something with such an important cause. So, thank you so much everybody, for giving me this opportunity to be standing here in front of you."<p>

Applause sounded, and Brittany Pierce smiled with gratitude.

"Well, there's someone here, who requested the stage, and I shall now give the time to him. Ladies and gentleman, my very good friend, Artie Abrams."

She beckoned for him to join her on stage, and his palms started to sweat again, like how it always did when he was near her. Thank goodness for those biker gloves he had though. Handing the microphone to him, Brittany Pierce started towards the stairs that led her down the platform, only to have him call for a halt.

"Brit, wait. You should stay here for this."

She smiled, unaware of the biggest confession he could ever make in his entire life.

He looked towards the crowd, and spotted Finn Hudson in his seat. His advisor nodded, and Artie bit his lip.

"Wow. Okay, so many of you would probably know me as the recent date for Brittany S. Pierce. And yeah, I guess, that's what I've become to all of you. Some people say that it's wrong for me to go out with her. And I get that. I mean I'm in this thing." He pointed to his wheelchair.

"And she's this big dancer whom everybody adores, because let's face it, she's hot." He looked towards her, and she smiled for that compliment. That gave him the strength to continue with his task. Reyurning his vision to the crowd, he continued.

"But there's something that you guys missed out. Despite the comments, and rude remarks, she is fun to be around. We have a good time hanging out together, and the bottom line is that, isn't that what's important about dating? She understands me, and what's it like to be trapped by a disability. She doesn't care what people think about us. She's really optimistic about life which is really amazing considering what some of the people has handled her."

He looked at her again, and her eyes were focused on him. Her vision never left his body, because honestly, how could one do that when he was saying such amazing things about her?

"So I stand before all of you here, requesting for Miss Brittany S Pierce's permission to be my official girlfriend." His grin quivered, and she stood up.

"Artie, that was really sweet of you. But there's something I think you should know." She looked towards the end of the stairs, and everyone froze in their seats.

Finn Hudson, especially, couldn't even begin to find that words that could form a sentence. Nothing else explained himself better than the only two words that managed to escape his mouth.

"Holy crap."

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><p>Okay, feel free to hate on me because I am sincerely very very sorry about how delayed this chapter has been! I've got a friend from Hk who came down to Singapore a week ago, and have been so busy showing her around. Then, I had to get back to Melbourne, explaining why I had been so late with this update! Also, working on The Other End was definitely taxing! But either way, here is the new chapter for Love Pundit! And I hope the wait didn't lose any of you out there! Now that I'm back in Australia, I definitely have a lot more time to write, so stay tuned!<p>

And again, promoting the tumblr that I've been also pretty busy with, gleeloved! Much love to you if you are still reading this! :')

Lovetheday, Finchel21, noro, sarasetif, Melly233 and PerfectFinchel YAY! You guys loved the previous chapter! It's been amazing, what you guys do all the time, giving me eternal support for my stories! I hope all of you are well, so here's the new one for you! Thank you so very much for still hanging on to me. Words cannot express my gratitude and love I have for you. Have fun love! :')

Mandy-twinkletoes, PaochiCute, brookedavis23 and CarCarBeepBroom. YOU GUYS! I LOVE YOU! Seriously, I don't know how you guys stay so excited over the chapter, because honestly, I don't even think I'm doing a really good job. I definitely will try to keep up with this, and I hope that you wouldn't be too disappointed with this chapter! It was most certainly a pleasure writing that scene out, so I'm really happy that you've enjoyed it though! So much love from me to you because all of you are amazing. Epicly, and most awesomely amazing.


	20. Ch 20 The Coming Out

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>Incidental occurrences hardly happen in reality. But when it does, it makes you question if you might possibly be in a dream. So you pinch yourself, as hard as you can to get out. Fast. Finn Hudson didn't do anything of that sort. He just sat there, rooted in his seat because no matter how many times Rachel called out for him, his eyes fixated on the subject that left the audience equally confused.<p>

Santana Lopez knew this day would come after seeing how Artie Abrams started being real close to her girl, Brittany. In order to have things right, okay maybe not so much right as it is to have things go her way, she knew she had to come out of the closet. She just hoped that she wouldn't put Brittany's image into jeopardy.

She walked up on stage, knowing that Brittany hadn't anticipated what she was about to say. Still, it had to be done.

"Hi I know I told you to give me time, to think. And I'm ready to talk."

"But we never do that." Brittany Pierce replied, confused.

"Yeah, I know. But I realized something. I realized why am I such a bitch all the time. I'm a bitch because I'm angry. Angry because I have all these feelings, feelings for you that I'm afraid of dealing with, because I'm afraid of dealing with the consequences. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Not really."

"I want to be with you. But I'm afraid of the talks, and the looks."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Finn Hudson managed to find his voice again with that comment, earning Rachel's ascend in mystification of the matter.

"Honey, if any one were ever to make fun of you, you'd either kick their ass or slash them with your vicious, vicious words." Brittany replied.

"Yeah I know, but I'm so afraid of what everyone would say behind your back. Still, I have to accept that I love you. I love you. I don't want you to be with any other guys. I just want you to want me. Please say you love me back, please."

"Of course, I love you. I do. And I totally would be with you, if it weren't for Artie."

"Artie? He's just a stupid boy."

This made the audiences' attention zone in to the man in wheels, who refused to believe in any of the nonsense.

"I don't, I don't understand ..." Were the only words he managed to churn out after the lump in his throat had formed.

"Artie, I'm sorry. You have been really sweet. And I know, I should have told you earlier that I'm bilingual, but..."

"Come on Brit." Santana Lopez, the woman who now had enough of the hoo-ha, wanted to drag Brittany away. She knew it would be a wrong idea, coming out to the public like that. But at least, they could stop sneaking around since the secret was out. Besides, she really was getting a little jealous of this Artie kid.

"You know what wheels? Would you do us a favor and disappear?"

Artie Abrams refused to believe any of the nonsense. "Wow, Brittany. I thought that if you wanted to reject me, you could at least be straight up about it."

"Wait, do you think I'm lying?"

"Isn't it? Pulling off this stunt isn't funny Brittany."

He didn't mean to come off blunt and hurtful, honest. But when the truth comes to spook you out of your desires, you might get a little over the top. What he thought he had shared with Brittany was something magical, because come on. Wasn't it? Why did he have to be the loser that ends up waking up from that dream?

"Do you see what's going on here? You're the hottest girl in the industry and I'm in saddle shoes on legs that don't work. This shouldn't be happening. It's hard enough for me to believe that this is real. I know she's one of your closest friends, but she sees that there are things that I can't provide for you and she's taking advantage of that."

"Everybody thinks she's a bad person but she's not."

"God, Brittany why are you so stupid?"

The blonde dancer's lips started to quiver. "You were the only person who never called me that."

"Brit, I'm so sorry, I -"

No words were said when the dancer ran with her partner off stage, no breath was breathed. Artie Abrams, left alone on the platform, watched as his magic slowly began to fizzle into thin air, turning it to a big whole of nothing. He swallowed, and that was the first sign of life in him. Within seconds, flashes blinded him, as the paparazzi uncontrollably snapped away.

Finn Hudson remained in his seat, processing everything that just happened in the last fifteen minutes. Rachel Berry, of course didn't know any of the back-story. She had once let Finn Hudson distract her from her job, but seeing as how he failed to respond to her calls, she got on full working-Berry mode.

"Rach, I need to go." Her partner had said quietly when she was about to rush upfront for a better view.

"Finn? You seem a little pale, do you need me to -"

"She was the one. She was the one who left me in the rain. But I don't want to talk about it okay? I just, I just need to -"

"Finn!"

By then, Artie Abrams had managed to pull through the crowd. There were paparazzi chasing after him, but at least he had a head start. However, as he was easing his escape, he caught sight of his advisor and things dove for a confusing knot in the matter.

"You said that it was going to be okay!" Artie yelled out, as he wheeled to Finn.

"I... I..."

"I thought you knew what you were doing that's why I came to you for help."

"Artie, I'm sorry. We can fix..."

"Don't give me any of that shit Finn. We can't fix this. It's not going to be okay. Don't say that we can fix this, because it's obvious that we can't. You might be okay with this after a while because I'm just going to be a job that didn't go so well. You will be okay after a while, but not me."

Finn felt Rachel's tiny fingers wrap his elbow, and in a way he was glad that she was there with him. Even though it might not be the same again after Artie was done talking.

"I came to you because I thought..."

"I didn't think that this was going to turn out this way too. Do you think it makes me happy seeing that you're left alone on stage while she runs off with somebody else? I worked with you and know how much effort you put in to make her yours. I didn't expect her to turn out..."

Finn was yelling, and had allowed his anger to get the better of him. With hand gestures that evidently displayed his take on the issue, Rachel started to retreat.

She was a smart woman, with proof from her takes and opinions on situations. So when Artie started saying about working with Finn, she got the message. He hadn't literally said it out loud, but it was clear enough for any professional journalist to see that Finn indeed was the date doctor Tina had mentioned about.

Caught in a daze from the truth, she failed to notice Artie rolling away with disappointment. The elephant of reporters chased after him, while she was left with her date; her date who hadn't been honest with her about who he was.

"Rach..."

Contrary to how the two men were expressing themselves loudly earlier, Rachel's approach to the truth was a little different.

"You." Despite the quiet tone, Finn felt like it might have been the loudest he had heard her speak. The shock was captured in the arrow that came piercing through his skin when she burned her eyes into his.

"Rach, I meant to..." He started for her, earning another step back from the brunette.

"Don't."

* * *

><p>Rachel Berry let out a huge breath as she clicked the print button on her screen. She was a professional. She ought to put her job before her love life, so that was what she did. However, she didn't bother checking through the article. She didn't want to recollect.<p>

While doing up what seemed to be the juiciest piece she had ever written about, every fleck of anger and disappointment was poured out the article. In some odd way, she had the strange feeling that this was going to be the best she had ever done despite being the original draft.

The brunette hadn't spoken to Finn Hudson since it happened, if that's what you've been wondering, although that was a given. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing either, printing out her masterpiece. Because Rachel Berry was a smart woman, she knew what it would do to his career. But Rachel Berry was also a compassionate one. It didn't help that she acknowledged the fact that she would be hurting him.

Could anyone blame her though? She wanted him to experience the same kind of 'betrayal' she had felt when she learned the truth. Quinn Fabray heard her sigh and wheeled herself to her best friend.

"Rach?" She spoke softly. The blonde and her beau had been careful around Rachel. They found out shortly after she returned to the office, and whilst venting every strand of bitterness she had, she was spilling over the keyboard with hisses and the occasional curse, which we wouldn't dwell into because I'm sure you're old enough to know the ones that rhymed with lucking and brickhead.

The pair knew how Rachel operated whenever she had a roller coaster of emotions. First came anger and frustration, and then came denial. The third step, which they never really took a liking for was pretense. She would act like the events that happened didn't matter. Only at every occasion, they did.

Right now, Rachel Berry was just exiting stage two, where she had just finished lying to herself that she would be fine. Stage three, which Sam predicted would come the next day, wasn't going to be pretty.

"Rach?" Quinn called out again at a more audible volume.

"Yeah?" The brunette looked at her, that face plastered with an obviously forced grin because if you looked close enough, you could see Rachel gritting her teeth. Quinn winced at the 'joker-like' face. Perhaps stage three had come early, and as said, it wasn't going to be pretty. Literally.

"How are you..."

"I'm fine!" Rachel replied a squeak too high through the painfully forced smile.

Quinn Fabray winced at the annoyingly high tone produced. "That will never be fine."

"RACHEL!" Will Schuester's voiced boomed from the upper level, and the two heads whipped around to look at the source. "MY OFFICE. NOW."

With that, Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. In that couple of minutes, Quinn saw the life hit her best friend. As though all those days of 'managing' dispersed, and the human form of Rachel Berry came back. But only for those 120 seconds, because before she could pat the back of her, Rachel got up from her seat, and headed for the office that she knew had no element of goodness for her.

It was now two days later, and her employer Will Schuester was about to throw a tantrum. He wasn't particularly happy that Rachel hadn't submit any form of information or even pictures after the event while competing magazines had floored the publishing world with endless shots of Brittany Pierce and her secret lover, Santana Lopez. He was this close to banishing her from the gossip column, if it weren't for the fact that she had promised something juicer than that 'old news'.

"Rachel." He said grimly when the door of his office swung open to reveal his once trusted journalist. "Have a seat."

She closed the door quietly behind her before taking stealthy steps towards the chairs he beckoned her for.

"Where's this new story you claim to be the best piece of news you've ever gotten your hands on?"

"It's..."

"Do you even have a story? Or was that some excuse you thought you could get away with? Need I remind you kid, you're not a preschooler anymore. This is the working world, where you are expected to be responsible for..."

She threw the article, fresh off the printer, on his desk.

He raised his eyebrows, a little surprised. Picking it up, he started to read through the first paragraph, and the second. The third, the fourth and the fifth. He couldn't stop at the flow of gossip he had in his hands, finally believing that this was certainly the best piece the company ever laid their hands on.

When he was done, he took a little while to process everything he knew from her article. All it took was ten minutes. Ten minutes to leave him breathless. This was a piece that was certainly promotion-worthy for Rachel Berry, but he had another matter to worry about.

He looked at the girl seated across from him. Instead of her usual strong demeanor, the Rachel Berry he once knew wasn't at all the girl in his room.

"Rachel, are you sure about this?" He asked.

Allowing his vision to linger on her face, he could have sworn she was on the brink of breaking down. Then, before he could speak up again, she let out a breath. Using the back of her palm to wipe away any evidence in her eyes, she whispered three words that haunted his state of mind even after she flew for the door.

"Just do it."

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><p>If you've been one of those who had been waiting patiently for this chapter, I salute with utter respect, total admiration and with so much love. Because I understand how painstakingly annoying it is to be waiting for someone to update you with a chapter. But c'mere and let me love you! I finally have Internet back after a month, explaining why I couldn't upload this! Then, I also had to settle some personal stuff in my life, getting back into uni and all. Still, I understand that this was no excuse for my disappearance. So I certainly hope that ch. 20 doesn't disappoint your wait! :) I've missed you guys so very much, and am finally back writing again!<p>

Sarasetif, Mandy-twinkletoes, PerfectFinchel, noro, bananappancakes, brookedavis23, Supabec, Finchel21, PaochiCute, Words cannot express how much I've missed seeing a notification pop up in my email with your name on it. I've missed writing and all of you so very dearly, and I am wishing so very much that you've not given up on me or the stories yet! All of you are amazing, wonderful, incredible, spectacular and simply exquisite. Hoping this update makes up at least 30% of what I've done wrong in keeping you wait like that.

And welcome sourilove! I hope that this next chapter wants you to keep going as well! Stick with me? I'll promise I'll try to update as soon as I can again! Keep being beautiful, you wonderful person!


	21. Ch 21 The After Math

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>As the front door of her place shut tightly with a loud click, Rachel Berry allowed her small body to drop to the floor. Her keys landed before she could, and when the clink of that sounded, she attempted to swallow that huge lump in her throat. She didn't know how long it had been there, probably since her submission an hour ago.<p>

A vibration called for her attention, alerting the brunette with an incoming call. Shutting her eyes, she opted for the green "Accept" function, not knowing what to expect. Maybe now after the past 48 hours without any contact, it was part of that subconscious that wanted to hear his voice again.

"Rach?" Finn Hudson felt a sudden surge when the hint of her revival transported him back to life.

"Rach?" He called out again. "I know you're there. Please talk to me." When the silence continued, he let out a sigh. "Fine, don't talk to me. But just listen to what I have to say."

She allowed her right palm to cup her forehead while the elbow rested itself on her knees, which had come up close to her chest. Bracing herself, she heard him clear his throat over the caller's end.

"You have every right to be I don't know, pissed. I know what I do isn't exactly the most honest job on this earth. It isn't illegal, but it's obviously in that unspoken rulebook, which classified what it is that I do as dishonest. You have to understand Rach, that I do what I do is because I want to help people. I want to help them believe that love exists in this messed up world."

"You know my story." He quieted down. "I didn't think it was possible for me to believe in it too, after that incident. You can say I was hypocritical since I've been doing this for more than five years now. But not until I met you. In actual fact, I didn't even get why you stormed off that day. All I did was merely hide away my real job. Nothing more."

"You hurt one of my best friends Finn."

"What? Who?"

"Tina. She went out with that client of yours, Mike Chang."

The color of his face started to drain out upon hearing that name. Now he understood what made her so angry. Because even he couldn't believe that of all the clients she had to reference this misjudgment from, it was from the one whom he had turned down. He couldn't find his voice, but eventually when he did, she wasn't on the other line.

Rachel knew that anything else she said after that wouldn't be important anymore. Maybe even to him, she was another one of those girls he would toss aside after they, you know, did it. And she didn't want to admit to herself that this was probably the reason why she was so affected by the whole thing. Because which girl would ever want to be one of those?

Every single girl out there is just a fragile being. In fact, so are the men. But you see, women tend to not stay on strong that easy when someone breaks their heart. Which is why, for our Rachel Berry here, it's not easy on her. She knew this might happen, thus putting up a wall and keeping herself out. The one time she thought she might have met someone different, someone who could change all her beliefs, just turned out to be exactly the type she tried to stay away from.

"Well, love exists my sexy ass." She grumbled before finding the strength to pick herself up.

* * *

><p>He rubbed the unconscious out of him, seeing as day began to whisper through his blinds. His eyes, which were initial slits started to get comfortable from the light and he pulled himself out of the floppy mattress. As his feet met with the ground, Finn slouched forward with his head hung loose.<p>

He had no idea when did sleep finally work its magic on him. It proved effective for a while, but then came these sparkles of weird dreams, which defeated the purpose. There was no point fighting to control these dreams that kept him awake, unless you were that dude from Inception. Each and every one of them had her face, including one he so distinctively remembered.

It was some sort of plan he wanted all along, to take a vacation out of the city for Hawaii. Scuba diving into the beautiful ocean and he was at awe of the amazing corals. Then, he started to see Rachel's face on every fish. But it wasn't like those beautiful mermaids though, no. It was more of her being photo-shopped into these creatures from the ocean, and so he started to waddle his way back to land. She started to scream for his name, and that was when he tumbled out of bed to realize it wasn't real.

"A dream is a wish your heart makes eh?" He said to himself, sighing. Slapping the 'hopelessness' away from his face, he started to get ready for the day.

Stretching above his head, the giant man went for the bathroom where the cold water would (hopefully) do a marvelous job in knocking that drowsiness. Before he could attempt that though, reality beckons for him, ruining any chances he had for another temporary escape.

The doorbell rung, and a loud pounding came from the front door. When his morning's visitor was the Irish man, Rory Flanagan, with a roll of magazine in his hand, Finn knew that something was up. Uncovering the publication, he felt his heartbeat quicken. He didn't even need to ask, because whatever that was published, could be well read off the face of his friend.

Finn didn't know what happened within the next twenty minutes. He didn't even know how he got to where he was headed for right now. All he knew was that his feet were carrying him, and his mind had only one intention.

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><p>"CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS THIS BERRY?"<p>

She knew that voice anywhere. As much as she wanted it to be coming from her boss, it wasn't. Nobody else ever asked her what her work was about. Nobody. That was because she always produced every single piece to her abilities and people in a way, respected her for delivering it flawlessly. So when the man demanded an explanation, it made her a little intimidated.

But it didn't matter if she was afraid of him. And it also didn't matter if she wanted to hear his explanation. What mattered was that he was in her office right now, demanding her acknowledgment and she couldn't run.

"Stop and stare everyone. Because we're about to have an uproar." Sam whispered to Quinn who silenced him with a glare. Not that it helped. Every single person in the office had already become an audience. The couple watched as the brunette began to turn her chair, ever so slightly. They watched every bit of her, exhaling a deep breath, getting out of the chair, walking up to the man and coming to a halt when her face was just centimeters away from his.

She crossed her arms. "The truth."

"WHAT KIND OF TRUTH IS THIS?"

"The absolute one."

"You don't know anything about the truth."

"I don't need to know everything. I just needed to know enough to -"

"To what? To stir up some of this shit to get a promotion? To get a recognition?"

"This had nothing to do with that. If I do get into a better position, then well, it was just a lucky two for one deal." She started to retreat back to her cubicle, hinting that there was nothing more she wanted to say. Finn, however, didn't have any intention of ending it just as yet.

"Even when it means blatantly hurting me?" He asked softly, now being affected by it more emotionally than just plain anger.

Upon hearing the question, she turned to look at him again and he saw that her fists were clenched, as though willing herself with a stubborn thought.

"Don't you dare Finn! Don't you dare talk about me hurting you when you didn't even think of that when you were hiding your real job from me. And don't you dare make this about you because you have no idea the damage you have done."

"Damage I've done?" He let out somewhat of a sarcastic snort at that. "What about the damage you've done, now that you've broken so many relationships out there just because you wanted to get that out? Don't talk about the damage I've done when you, by clicking that submit button have done a lot worse."

She couldn't find any comeback at that because deep down, not only her, but also everyone who heard what he had said knew that there was some truth to it.

He sighed, now finally realizing how much she meant to him. You would think that he was a grown man, and knew what love was when it came looking for him. Even in the conversation he had with her over the phone last night would make you think that he knew the effect she had on him.

But no. Because only at this moment, was when it hit Finn Hudson about how much he felt for Rachel Berry. And not only that, but also about how real it was. It was so real that you need to understand that sometimes, things just wouldn't work out. And because he knew it couldn't, was the reason why he chose to give it up, explaining his sudden change of attitude towards her.

"You know what darling?" The way he chose to address her made her blood run cold. "Mike Chang isn't any bit of a man doing what he did to your friend. I didn't take up the job. Because of jerks like him, love becomes so out of reach for you women. I was helping men out there believe in themselves, believe that it's okay to reach for the stars. If I had taken the job, it would have been defying everything I stood for."

"Artie Abrams didn't do anything wrong coming to me. I helped men like him find that courage to talk to someone as beautiful as Brittany Pierce. He knew that if he had an idea of what to say to her, then maybe she would actually look his way. Everyone needs help whenever they run into something they're afraid of. If you didn't understand that, then maybe trying isn't in your dictionary."

Sam Evans, as much as he wanted to be on his pal Rachel Berry's side, knew exactly what Finn was describing. Scoring Quinn was one lucky shot that he made. If it weren't for working together, he probably would have hired someone like Finn for help too. So he started nodding slightly. And then, he started to notice that with the commotion Rachel and Finn had caused, some of the men began to look at Finn with understanding.

"It's the same reason why we actually need more help in believing in love. Because you girls just make it so god damn hard sometimes."

Without any other word, Finn Hudson stormed out of the office.

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and after two deep breaths, opened them again. Looking at her best friend by the cubicle, she asked, "Pft, can you believe that guy?"

Quinn Fabray looked at Sam Evans, whose arm had gone round her shoulder while the brunette had the argument.

"Actually, I can." They both said in unison and Rachel Berry dropped the fake grin she thought she could fool the world with.

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><p><em>You know you need to sleep. But what good would it do even if I do? Her face is just going to haunt me in there, tormenting me like how she did with that damn article.<em>

Finn Hudson was sick of the deabte of the thoughts in his head as he laid in bed. If only there was something that could take his mind of. The one thing that he was particularly annoyed with, was that it never used to matter.

With what happened with Santana, he was sure that he knew the protocol in guarding himself from the vulnerabilities of a serious relationship. He really was a hypocrite wasn't he? Trying to get the men to believe that love exists when he wasn't even willing to open up to the possibilities this abstract idea has to offer. Well, having Rachel Berry publish that crap just pulled him back again, reinstating that he hadn't commit a mistake.

After two hours of tossing and turning, he knew he had to get out of the room. Not just his room, but his apartment, which seemed to be caving in on him. Thank goodness that at a time like this, New York wasn't what you'd see in those pictures. It was a time for serenity at the park. Grabbing his running shoes, Finn Hudson took a chance at the exercise that never failed to keep his mind occupied.

His arrival at the park gave him a sense of familiarity. Taking a whiff of the morning air, he had no idea why his feet, (again the master of his movements) had brought him back here. This wasn't where he was suppose to be. In fact, this isn't where he should be if his aim for the morning run was to forget about her.

He looked at his surroundings and decided to give it a shot anyway. The most dangerous place is also the safest eh?

* * *

><p>I was suppose to be studying up yesterday, but instead, I chose to complete this chapter for all of you. And y'knw why? Because I owe it to each and every one of you. Not as though my homework could measure up to the love all of you have given me anyway! All of you are so terribly wonderful and I do hope that this chapter's doing justice to the wait!<p>

Lovetheday, noro, Supabec, sarasetif, Finchel21, bananappancakes, jellybeangirl9792, PerfectFinchel and brookedavis23 HAI! Awww, seriously though all of you are just so wonderful to be supporting me still. I honestly do not know how you find the motivation to wait for an update! This chapter's for all of you out there who haven't lost faith in me. Keep being wonderful because each of you are exceptional.

Mandy-twinkletoes, AW! I really hope that it didn't bring you too much of a heartache though! Do not despair, because if you've seen Hitch, things would turn around for Artie. Not exactly the same way it does for the movie, but definitely this story would have the happy ending you'll want! So thank you so much for that feedback. But darling, I do not deserve that compliment. You already blew my mind by commenting, and I don't know how you can actually think that what I do is good. Anyhow, thanks my love.

Sourilove, d'aw you're the sweet one honey! It's always an honor for me to make someone like you happy, so I thank you instead for telling me that you're enjoying this! :)

Laylita83, you're so wonderful! Im guessing you probably knew about this chapter being the dramatic one because you've been following all of my stories! And yes indeed, this is the one where angst is all over the place between the two main leads! I've had fun writing it out though, so I'm hoping that despite how things have made a drastic turn, you'll still enjoy this one!

PaochiCute, y'knw what sweetheart? I had to will myself to stop tearing up because your review was just so incredible. I have missed you so very much, from the bottom of my heart and am so glad that you haven't given up on me. I love you so very much and words just can't explain the joy in me while I was re-reading the words you've typed out. Thank you for being your wonderful you love. You are amazing.

CarCarBeepBroom, aw! When's your birthday though? I'll definitely dedicate a chapter in your name when the day arrives, hoping that it can brighten your day! PM or tweet me the date love!


	22. Ch 22 The Deal Breaker

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>Rachel Berry sighed at the distasteful sound of the alarm. Much to her dismay, even after weeks of getting up this early, she still wasn't used to the idea of being awake at such an ungodly hour. But this morning, it didn't seem as bad. Her confrontation by Finn hadn't put her to peace since it took place. She knew he was right, but it didn't change the fact that he lied to her.<p>

She recounted the whirlwind of events after he left, and what happened that led her up to this guilt-ridden sleepless night. Will wasn't too impressed about the scene he had stirred up, and at this point, Rachel Berry remembered clearly about how her anger started to ascend for greater heights. Why did she have to take the blame?

She sat down in the office, apologizing profusely about how unprofessional she was for allowing her personal life to interfere with her work. Will wasn't exactly satisfied but felt she displayed an adequate amount of sincerity before letting her go. The rest of her afternoon went by in a blur as she busied herself with mediocre odd jobs. She didn't want to talk to Quinn or Sam seeing how they agreed with Finn too.

By the end of the day though, she was exhausted. Not just physically because she'd already been to the gym. Mentally, she was absolutely, positively drained. It wasn't easy being angry with the person she believed might be someone special, but to be angry with the people she adored dearly? It was unimaginable. Thank goodness for Tina though. That soft-spoken girl was the only good thing in her life right now, or at least until Quinn and Sam roped her into their side of the fence too.

She mused her hair into a more tangled mess, not like it would matter because she felt like a mess herself. Whatever you are on the inside would be shown through your appearance anyway, right? Dragging her feet towards the morning routine call, she fumbled for the switch.

"Good morning you sad slob." She said to her reflection on the mirror. "Let's make this a heck of a run eh?"

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><p>He eased into a stop and stood before the water. It was the same thing every morning for two weeks now. Wiping the sweat off the bridge of his nose, he inhaled the sunrise, how stunning the view was from where he stood. Looking down, he saw himself staring back at him through the reflection of the waves. There he was, the tall man his mom raised. His hair was in a messy nest from the run and the sideburns a little damp due to his sweat. He swallowed and blinked, doing this for the next few seconds. Letting out a slow but steady breath, he raised his head, as though sure of a thought.<p>

It wasn't easy, coming back here every single morning for the past 14 days. But he was an adult, and he had seen enough to know enough. To resolve something, you couldn't run away. You got to look at it in her face and brace whatever comes your way. So despite the sour feeling in his stomach for the first couple of days, he dragged himself out of bed to come to the place he took her on their first date.

To keep up with the records, it had been two weeks. And BAM! Was he feeling good about himself. In fact, he was proud that he managed to do this so easily. He started to smile, realizing how 'mature' he had been about this daily struggle everyone faced, letting go. Attempting to recollect about the betrayal he felt that day was hard, and his grin grew wider, thinking that he was truly over her. But you know what? He hadn't been okay. If you must know, he was far from fine. And he most certainly wasn't dealing this problem with the way it should have been handled.

Because at that moment, when the morning wind whispered past his cheeks, he had a surge of determination to run another mile. And just when he turned his face towards the designated direction, he caught sight of a resemblance that sent him rooted to the ground. When the stranger passed him by, he heaved a sigh of relief, discovering it was just another girl with the same colored hair.

To keep himself safe, he decided against running the same path he always took. He didn't want to remind himself how affected he was just by that mistake. So did maturity sneak up his back? It was safe to say, not even the slightest bit. He detoured, taking a chance at the direction he hadn't taken awhile. At this moment, all he wanted was to be away from that stranger, and yet due to this, he hadn't noticed that it was the path that led him to the swing-a-ring.

And all that belief to forget about her, couldn't have prepared him for the scene to come.

* * *

><p>Contrary to Mr. Finn Hudson, Rachel Berry was better dealing with her situation. She made a habit to run every morning, since a week after the first date. It gave her peace, and serenity whenever she did. Since 'it' happened, she relied on her morning run more than ever. It was the only activity that could successfully take her mind off, and she didn't have to do it running away.<p>

You could say she took it in a different perspective. Her idea was that, the more you're willing to tackle the root of the problem, the faster you'd be able to get over it. She'd been running the same route for over a month now. Initially, it was because it brought a smile to her face, at the memory of him.

Now, it was because the same route reminded her of how ignorant she had been. Ultimately after any kind of situation or problem, you're bound to take a life lesson from it. This time, it was to never take the leap if you're not sure how deep the water was.

Letting her arms reach for the air above her as high as it would take the small body, Rachel Berry allowed her toes to give her the extra height. Exhaling as she descended down, she leaned forward, until her nose came into contact with her knees. She felt the muscle pull in her thighs, but chose to stay in position for a little while longer.

As she rose again, all the pain she felt in her legs couldn't compare to the piercing through her heart.

"Finn?"

A look sent her way, and she was certain it was the worst she had ever felt.

"Isn't someone doing her job well?" He said coldly. "No comment."

"Look Finn, about whatever that happened between us, I want to apologize."

"What you did was really bad Rachel."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But what I did was for the better. All I cared about was the community, and you have to admit that I am partially right at this."

"So this is what you meant by a sincere apology? Trying to make me see that what you did was right?"

"No, no. I don't mean it like that."

"Then, have a good day." He used his palm to swipe away the droplets of sweat running down his forehead, but even Rachel could tell it was a cover-up, as though he was willing in his mind to stay strong. This wasn't fair; she was fighting for the same thing too. So before he stepped away, she made one last attempt to fix this mess.

"You can't just walk away like that Finn. I thought we were going to be adult about this. It was my job."

"Well, I thought what we had was real too. But guess what, life isn't all roses and kitty-cats sweetheart. You've done your job, that article was superb. You done good kid, you can stop now."

"I'm trying to apologize for hurting you."

"You can't. The article's done. The damage's been done. We're done." He took off, knowing that having to listen her voice again would change his stubbornness. He had to do this though. He hadn't expected her to make him feel this way, but she did. As much as he wanted to give her a chance, it was the cold hard truth that she went a little too far. Would you forgive her if it were you?

Every stride he took on the path before him, he cursed mentally for the way he chose to respond to this situation. Truth was, he did miss her. He missed how happy she made him. But every time he caught his selfish mind relishing her presence, he'd knock that optimism away, replacing it with the hurt she had caused. So, when this coincidence happened, he didn't muster the courage to look in her eyes. He just couldn't.

"That's a face I haven't seen in a while." A voice echoed him out of his misery when he halted to a stop. The source came from the burly woman. It might as well have been his luck that he would bump into someone he knew while being in this current state.

"Hey." He called out, with his voice reflecting the way his mind was right now, drained by everything that had happened.

She was polishing the dirt off some oars, and he crept his way silently towards her. Plopping his 6'3 body down, he let out a sigh.

"Sick?" She asked without looking up from her task.

"No."

"Tired?"

"No."

"Sick and tired?" By the third question, she knew. So she looked at him, with his head hung so low, his knees could trap his skull.

He shook his head, or an action that somehow seemed similar to that because Coach Bieste couldn't really tell with his sitting position like that.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked again, not really wanting to pursue the matter if he wasn't willing to open up.

Another sigh was released, and Finn Hudson began to unlock his head from the lopsided hooked position it was in.

"It's about, your kind. I don't think you'd be interested in listening."

"Well, try me."

He licked his lips to bite back a sad smile. "You're just so much like her, you know? The both of you have this sort of spunk, and daringness, if there is such a word like that. You're both so unafraid of things, so ready of risks and challenges. Either that or maybe I'm just missing her a little too much."

She patted his back, offering some form of reconciliation.

"How do you and the scout stay the way you stay?" He asked softly.

Shannon Bieste thought about her other half, the one who made her world a better place, as all spouses do. Finn hadn't known the man really well, just that he was a football scout for high school students. He did know that they were a happy couple though.

"We were brought up at a time when we were taught something very important."

"What's that?"

"It's that if anything went wrong, we had to fix it."

The answer silenced Finn, just as how Shannon Bieste knew it would.

"Let me tell you what many people of your age haven't realized at this point. It's that it's okay to disagree with the ones close to you. I argue with Cooter all the time about what's for dinner, and how much we should cook. But it doesn't mean we love each other a little lesser when we do."

"What she did was wrong!" His voice started to rise, with an infusion of annoyance. "It's not just about disagreeing on something, it's about what she did to me."

"I don't have to know what she did."

He remained quiet, a little heavy breathing could be heard, but the older, wiser woman didn't allow him to speak anymore. She took this chance to reveal what has been happening, and how she 'knew' about what has been going on.

"You know she comes here every morning. Ever since you brought her here, she started to come by here gradually until the past two weeks when it was every single morning. She would come by, give me a little wave and sometimes if she wasn't in a hurry, she'd make the effort to start a little conversation. Normal girls who guard their feelings don't do that. They care too much about how the world perceives them that they would build up this wall. Rachel isn't like those girls."

"And the conversations we have, somehow and someway, she would lead it back to you. I don't need to know what she did, because there was that little fact in all of this. And that was that she loves you."

"You didn't even know that. You probably just inferred it from your whole womanly sixth sense thing." He replied narcissistically.

"Then help me out here, because I might be wrong at this. Do you love her?"

He paused for a while, trying to give the answer that best hid his actual realization.

"I –"

"Don't even try. That short silence was the answer."

* * *

><p>Chapter 22! Do accept my sincere apologies if you have been waiting for this for a while now! I was working on my Finchel one shot "Angels Instead" and if you haven't seen it, it's actually one of my most personal pieces ever done! Either ways, I hope everyone has had a good weekend (seeing how it's Monday in Australia now) and if you've been part of the Monchele fandom, I'm pretty sure you are still in heaven right now! :')<p>

Mandy-twinkletoes, taralynnn x, sarasetif D'aw I'm looking forward to the Finchel reunion as well! But I guess if you have already seen the film, the story's coming to an end real soon! At least within the next two chapters! It's so amazing that you guys are still hanging on so dearly to me, and it's just been so wonderful of you to do that. Thank you so much, eternally, from the bottom of my heart!

Lovetheday, bananappancakes, noro and Supabec, Yay! Thanks for loving the chapter, it's been a joy writing that one down, even though there has been so much angst towards the end! Hope you'll enjoy this one too! :')

PaochiCute, CarCarBeepBroom and brookedavis23, the April ladies! I'm sorry "The Love Pundit" update wasn't during your birthdays, but at least you've got "Angels Instead" eh? Have a lovely and wonderful day, and because you were meant to enjoy yourself!


	23. Ch 23 The Wakeup Call

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

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><p>"Hey Rach, pick up, pick up! I know you're there!"<p>

Rachel Berry stared at the phone while the speaker echoed Tina's voice. She sighed and contemplated, but you know where she was plopped on the floor made her comfortable, so she refused to budge. Every morning's run was enough to kill her, but this morning's one just wiped her clean.

"Rach, come on. It's been so long since you've done something eventful. Just pick up the phone so we can start getting the old you back!"

"What's the use Tina? I tried getting my old life back, but it's not as easy as it seems." She answered, although knowing Tina couldn't possibly have heard her.

"Rach, come on." The Asian girl's voice was starting to sound quiet, and desperate. "You were always the strength of everything. You were my wall of trust, still is. I've always admired you for being so strong despite everything that comes your way. Lately though, you're turning into someone else, like this sad little mob that pushes everything away. Where have you been? I need you back Rach." And that was when in between the deep breaths of comfort, when the tiny little brunette licked her lips from the truth. She got up from her position and walked towards the phone.

"Rach?" Another attempt was made to call out to her best friend's name.

"I'm sorry Tina. I'm going to get back on my feet again, I promise you. But between me thinking that I finally let it go and seeing him again earlier, today's not that day." She punched the end button and went for her bedroom, blasting a new playlist she created since two weeks before about heartbreaks, independence and feminism.

* * *

><p>It was nearly 2 in the afternoon when her surprise guest decided to drop by. She hadn't expected him to come, so of course when the knock sounded on her door, it made her jump in her seat on the couch. It didn't make things any better when she was catching up on some horror films. Thank goodness, it was still in the day and the streak of sunlight was the reminder that things weren't real. But not to say that reality couldn't make her goose bumps rise.<p>

Her entrance revealed him.

"Hey."

She narrowed her eyes before folding her arms across her chest. "What do you want?" She sneered.

"What's this, not even a hello?" He asked, with a smile on his face but it just made her scowl more evident than before.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's a nice day, and I had a good run this morning which made me realize something." He walked in, ignoring the fact that she hadn't welcomed him. After all, it wasn't his first time at her place.

"Oh come in, if you must." She muttered under her breath, which he clearly heard.

"I know. That's why I did."

"Tell me again what are you doing here. Because the last time I checked, you wouldn't care."

The man made himself comfortable on her couch. As bitter as Rachel Berry was, she still served him a beverage, setting down the glass on the coffee table and sitting across him on another armchair.

"So are you just going to sit there and suck in all the oxygen of my living room or what?" She snapped sarcastically.

"If you must know," He took his time reaching for the beverage, holding the glass near his lips and smiled as though he had a secret she should be excited about. "I am here to set things straight. But seeing as how you're not being a very good host right now, maybe I shouldn't have come."

"Leave then, it's not like I welcomed you in the first place." She crossed her arms and burned her eyes into him. Seriously, she had some good T.V. to catch up on. If he was going to beat around the bush about it, she wasn't going to care.

"Now, Rach. Is that how you want to treat me? Especially when I know that what I have come to say is going to help you?"

She sighed, but didn't make any more remarks. Honestly, she was very; most positively exhausted from the pity party her friends gave her. When were they going to give it a rest?

"Okay, you know what Rachel Berry. Enough of all that joking around. I just wanted to lighten you up. The truth is…"

Her guest set the glass down, and stared at her. He started to nudge his way towards the small brunette and took her hand.

"I was very sure that I could make you better because you know what, Rach? I love you."

Rachel Berry widened her eyes at the last three words to have left his lips. She retreated her hand so fast; it actually hurt him a little. Staring at her with puppy dog eyes, she found herself afraid to breathe.

"You what…" Her lower lip trembled, making speech a little bit of a problem for her right now.

He threw his head back in laughter, and a snort or two may have been heard.

"Oh god, I miss this. Relax Berry, I was joking. Jeez, lighten up! You should have seen the look on your face." He tried to mimic her facial expression one second ago, and she had to admit the registration of shock captured perfectly like a mirror.

"Oh ha. Ha. Ha. If publishing goes down for you, you'll have a fantastic job as a comedian Evans."

His eyes brightened at the statement. Straightening his back, he commented, "Oh I know. I should totally start looking in the papers for any prospects. Jokers get good pay. They got so popular; we even made it to the big screen. Didn't you see The Dark Knight? How awesome was that scene with…"

"Sam. Get to the point."

This time, it was the man who sighed. "Look Rach, you know how I always had fun with all the jokes about being some relationship freak right? You're so afraid of commitment, you're making yourself sound like a dude. Funny story, Quinn and I were saying how the only way you can ever settle down is if your work takes an evil human form. You guys would be so perfect for each other because you've already spent so much time with him, you're gonna…"

"Sam. Get to the point."

"I'm getting there. Anyway, even though I've teased you endlessly over it, I was serious when I said I love you. It's not like how I love Q, of course. Because that girl is the queen of my heart, but I mean I love you because you are also one of my best friends. Even though I never said it enough, I care about you Rach. We all do." He took a sip of his drink and Rachel Berry thought she could throw a pillow out the door if he isn't going to make his statement.

"You say that relationships are for people that are just waiting for something better to come along. So you know, cool. Whatever. You can believe whatever you want. But if your theory is true, and that the Finn guy was just someone who was leading you to someone else better, why are you not better yet?"

"Well, because, I -, I -, I…"

"Because you haven't found better yet?"

"YEAH!" She said a little too excitedly so he knew she only agreed with him because she didn't know what to say, not that she was thinking about the same thing.

"You are smart Rachel, your brilliant mind is actually worthy of praise." He saw her sit upright and when a comment was about to come his way, he struck back.

"And when I say your brilliant mind is worthy of praise, I meant when you channel it in your work and not when you're hurling some smart comment about me." She wrinkled her nose and muttered something he couldn't hear but her silence was also a way of telling him to carry on.

"AS I WAS SAYING BEFORE I GOT RUDELY INTERRUPTED, I know you're not thinking that because it's the same thing between Q and me. I'm every bit of a wuss when it comes to her. She can whip the shit out of me with just one look. And don't ever tell her this but that's why I find her so perfect. You can't choose who you fall in love with because when things happen, it just does. And there's no way you can stop it from happening. Love picks you."

"Sam, THE POINT."

"Fine I'll get straight to it, jeez."

She threw her arms in the air, "Finally."

"You obviously like the dude. What are you still being such a baby about?"

"Because Sam, I am not right for him. I saw him this morning you know, and I tried to make things better again. I wanted to apologize, but he wouldn't listen to me. Come on, I was such a bitch to do that to him. If it were you, you wouldn't want me either."

"And you're just going to let him go? Just like that? End of story?"

"Tell me what am I suppose to do besides giving up?"

"Have you really?"

"YES!"

"NO!" He was close to yelling, not because he was mad, but because it was a little fun sometimes.

"What are you screaming for? I choked on the relationship okay. He's not going to want to forgive me anymore. I ruined a man's career for goodness sake. Not that he was making an honest living out of it but still."

"So, change his mind. Let him know that things can still become better."

"I've tried. Didn't you hear what I said? He wouldn't even listen to my apology."

"That's not the Rachel Berry I know. If Q ever acted the same way, I'd drive to her and stay, until I convince her to give me another shot.

"I can't believe how supportive you are, why are you doing this when half the time I'm just snapping at every thing you say.

"It's not completely selfless. Tina's been really upset, which has made Quinn really upset, and that makes me really upset because Q is putting off you know. By helping you, I'm helping myself get laid again."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "And just when I thought you were a gentleman."

He laughed and shook his head. "Hey, I am a dude after all."

Rachel's eyes went to the back of the couch Sam was sitting on, and how it also reminded her of the night Finn stayed over. She remembered that night well, and of course she remembered the next morning. She also remembered how happy she had been and how she was still feeling the same way now even when he wasn't with her. Because when you fall in love with someone, you can never truly stay mad at him for too long. You'd end up missing him too much. And oh god, did she miss the crap out of him.

"Rach?" Sam called out, knocking her out of her senses. "You alright?"

She smiled sadly as the memory became hazy in her mind again. "Yeah."

They sat together in silence for a while until Rachel spoke up again.

"Sam?" She asked softly.

"If you ever mention this to anyone that I bothered to come down here and actually show some sort of concern about this situation, I'm going to deny it."

"No, it's not that." A smile was distinct in her face, and the most genuine one Sam had seen in weeks since the whole mess.

"I just wanted to ask, how are you sure that I haven't found the better yet?"

"Look, Rachel. Does he make you smile?"

The memory became clearer again and she nodded.

"And it's not even like because he's saying some joke or having an awesome imitation. But because he is just there."

"Yeah."

"And why is that?"

"Because Finn is," The answer was in her heart, but her voice couldn't bring to say it out loud with confidence. So a soft crisp reply escaped from her lips, like how a leaf fell from a tree. Something people wouldn't really notice, but evident when you watch it descend down to the earth and make a rustling sound for the whole word to hear if you listen close enough.

"The _best_."

She swallowed hard and looked at her friend. "Thanks for making me realize that."

"I didn't make you realize that. I just made you admit it."

She didn't want to make this moment anymore sappy than it already was. After all, she and Sam weren't usually like this. Their friendship among two of them resided on smart comments, snarky remarks. Purely for the fun of it, but it doesn't mean that they didn't care for each other. So she looked at him, and he started to smile genuinely, perhaps for the first time at her.

"But Rach, come on. You know you gotta do it. I'll even take you to his place right now. Because you know," He put on a 'serious' exterior and took her hand again. "I do love you." When he leaned in to stroke her thumb, she yelped and leaped off her seat, leaving Sam Evans in hysterics.

* * *

><p>The tall man was at the door of her place. His fist was in mid-air; ready with everything he got to set things right. He was ready to look at her in eye again, and convince her that perhaps they could start everything all over again. But then he heard the four words coming out of an unknown male being. Suddenly, as though woken up with the reality that they could never really go back to the way things were in the past, he lowered his arm and backed away.<p>

* * *

><p>Okay, because this is about 50 days delayed? I have this suspicion (and am convinced by my suspicion) that nobody's that excited for this story anymore. In fact, I really am trying to send out a million and one apologies right now as you read this. So if you are indeed one of the angels who's reading this now, I bow down to your patience. I do honestly am very disappointed in myself for taking so long at this. I mean, it's just a short chapter isn't it? I really ought to polish up my time management skills. Either ways, as you guys already know, I have marked this story as completed. Its the least I could do to upload two chapters at one shot to show you my utmost gratitude that you are still hanging on to The Love Pundit. All in all, I honestly thank you, so very much. You are exquisite for reading, and so very patient for waiting. I love you, every one of you and if you are on tumblr, do let me know when you pop by my site! I want to give a shout out because the world needs to know how special you are to me. Signing off, and seeing you at The Other End of My Tether, xoxo A.<p> 


	24. Ch 24 The Love Pundit

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>He slammed the door hard.<p>

"What the hell Finn!"

Finn Hudson looked at him.

"Care to explain why you left all of a sudden?"

"Can we just drop it?"

"Are you serious? I came all the way here to catch up with you, and you wouldn't even want to talk to me. Then all of sudden you just take off. Imagine me, coming out of the bathroom, only to find a note that said, 'I GOT SOMEWHERE I GOTTA GO.' If you think this is funny…"

"Can we just forget about everything that happened in the last hour and get on with lunch?"

"How could you think about food at a time like this?"

"Well, I JUST REALLY WANT TO EAT!" Finn was usually quite patient with him, after all, he did go through the trouble of coming all the way here to see him. But between the morning he had with Bieste, coming to the realization about Rachel, and what he heard over the door of her apartment, there's only so much a man can take for an entire afternoon.

* * *

><p>Sam braked in front of the building Rachel was very familiar with. She looked up in the direction towards his window. Her friend heard her take a deep breath.<p>

"Rach, no thinking. You were sure that he was the best, you said so yourself. No regrets."

"I know what I said, it's just that what if…"

"Stop it. No more what ifs. If you really must have a what if question, then ask yourself this: what if things work out, and this is what you were meant to be doing?"

"I know but…"

"No more buts. Oh god Rachel Berry, I swear if you are going to ponder for another second, I'm going to carry you up there and drop you at his doorstep. Seriously Rachel, a man's got a limit for his generosity, you know?"

"But Sam –"

"Okay. That's it." He clicked the seatbelt off his seat and got out of the vehicle. He opened her side of the door, and she started to panic again.

He held out his hands for her and said, "Come on princess, I said I loved you didn't I?"

"I didn't know you were serious about it!"

"I'm not going to carry you up. Relax. I'm just escorting you, so that you wouldn't run away from this again. Now come on, daddy needs to get laid. Chop, chop, sweetheart."

Rachel Berry let out another breath. She knew what Sam was up to. The reason why he was doing this wasn't entirely because he missed banging Quinn. In his weird way, this was him showing that he cared for her a lot. So she looked at him and said, "Thanks."

As they got to Finn's place, she could hear a little bickering that was going on inside. She sneaked a look at Sam. He shrugged his shoulders and knocked the door for her instead.

"Sam, I'm going to be fine. You can go now." She said.

"I told you I'm going to make sure you do this. So this is me, making sure."

"So you're just going to stand there and watch?" She whispered fiercely.

"Yes." He replied with an annoying smirk. "Imagine the dirt I'm going to have and the endless things to torment you about."

"Fine, whatever." She knocked the door herself this time, while Sam Evans made himself comfortable by leaning against the wall, with that smirk that seemed permanently inked.

"Finn." She called out softly.

"Oh yeah, that's real determination." Sam inserted sarcastically.

"Shut it!" Still, he did have a point. So she called out for him a little louder.

"FINN."

* * *

><p>"AND I JUST REALLY WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? BUT I DON'T SEE YOU GIVING IN TO ME!" The man sure knew how to participate in an argument if he wanted to.<p>

"WELL, IT'S BECAUSE I'M…" A knock sounded on a door, with a tiny voice called out to Finn. The two men stared at each other with widened eyes.

"FINN." Her voice became louder, and his guest gave him a questioning look. He sighed and held up his finger, motioning for him to remain silent as he answered the door.

"Hi." She smiled timidly to him.

"What do you want Rachel?"

"I've got something to say, about this morning."

"Well, like what I said, no comment." He started to close the door again, but for a tiny little girl, she sure did have the strength of a bull.

"Just listen to me, okay? I know you said you're not going to, but I'm not going anywhere until you've heard every word. And if that involves me sitting here at your doorstep for the entire week, I will."

"That's my girl!" And that was when Finn took note of Sam's presence. He raised his eyebrows, and Rachel whipped her head around to give her benefactor a death stare.

"Oops, sorry. Hey Finn." Sam supplied.

"Hey?" Finn said unsurely.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just here to watch and make sure Rachel doesn't screw this up. You know women. And our dear Rachel has got so much to learn about making things right."

"Uhm sure." Finn nodded along, as though he understood everything Sam just said.

"SAM!" Rachel hissed. "I got this!"

"Sure you do." He nodded 'knowingly'. "Carry on."

Rachel turned to look up at Finn again. "Listen, I know I tried to apologize this morning, but that obviously didn't go so well. So I'm here again, trying to make my point. I just wanted to stop by and uh -. Wow, damn. I did not think this through."

She looked at him, and he was just staring down at her, waiting.

"So uh, I came here because I wanted to say something. To you."

Finn crossed his arms and leaned his head against the door.

"I wanted to tell you that you were wrong. No, wait. That's not it. You were right. No, no, no. You were wrong. I mean -, oh god why is this so hard?" She looked down at the floor and then at him again.

Wincing, she requested, "Do you think you could shut the door?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, because I'm usually very organized with my thoughts, but coming up here, and seeing you again, I can't think straight. I can handle this better when I'm not looking at you."

Finn sighed. This was just all too confusing for him, and he was dead serious about wanting to grab some lunch. If Rachel would finish her business here a lot quicker when the door was closed then so be it.

"Smooth Rach. Real smooth." Sam commented and she gave him another death stare once Finn was out of sight.

"Listen Rachel. Whatever it is that you have going on around here, I don't want to know okay? I don't know what you want. And you clearly don't seem to know what you want either." Finn's voice came over the door that separated them.

"No Finn, I got this." She exhaled. "Okay, so all my life, everyone's been telling me that relationships are awesome. You get together with someone that makes you happy, and life is good. Then I met you. For a while there, I started to think that maybe you were the one that actually helped me realize that. Then, to find out what you did for a living, it actually made me so miserable that I didn't think it was possible. And yet I still wanted that, you know?"

Finn looked at his guest who was hearing all of this as well.

"I don't know anything anymore, because why is it that what I'm experiencing is the exact opposite, and yet I'm feeling what I'm suppose to, you know?"

"Rachel, what do you want from me then if I'm making you feel like that?"

"That's just it. I want you."

"Don't give me that shit Rach."

Her heart broke a little when she heard how blunt he was. This wasn't how she planned their reunion in her head. By the looks of it, this did not look good. And if things weren't going good, she made a mental note to murder Sam for making her look like a complete fool in front of Finn.

"This morning, after I saw you Rach, I talked to Bieste. And you know what she made me realize? She made me realize that I am feeling these things for you. These feelings that I never thought I could have, ever again."

She looked down on the floor and smiled a little.

"So I got to your place about an hour ago. I was so ready to apologize for being a jerk to you this morning. Because, the fact is that I was. What we had was something special Rachel, and I have spent my entire career around these sorts of crazy things, that I wanted it so badly for myself. Then I heard a voice saying that he loved you."

Rachel's small grin turned to a grim line. She raised her head to look at her friend she should be oh so thankful for right now. A definite plan to kill Sam was in motion.

He gave her a sympathetic shrug and mouthed an apology.

"And that was when I realized something else. It takes two hands to clap Rachel, just like how it takes for two people to fall in love at the same time. And it wasn't that way with us. So maybe you were right Rachel, the fact that trust wasn't involved in our relationship from the beginning was a sign that we shouldn't even have started this in the first place."

"You do understand that once you get those feelings, its not easy for them to go away though, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I know, but I've done it before, so hey. I can do it again, can't I?"

She saw the door crack open, and he pulled it towards him, so that it revealed his guest who was standing in the living room with him.

"Hi." The man said, with a little wave. Then, he walked towards Finn, and Rachel wasn't sure if she should hurl or pass out.

"Rach, this is Kurt Hummel. Kurt, this is Rachel Berry."

"Hi" His guest said again, this time extending a hand to shake hers.

"Hey."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You-u too." Her voice trembling because she was taking in the grave mistake she had just made.

"Finn, I'll wait downstairs."

Finn looked at him and said, "Sure. I'll be down in a sec."

"Wow Finn, I honestly did not know I screwed you up so bad that you're playing for another team now. But man, do you work fast!" Rachel let her word vomit slipped and it earned a confusing look from Finn.

"What are you -. Oh my god. Kurt? You think, I'm getting it on with Kurt? He's my brother Rach. I've told you his name before. That's just gross."

"Oh. Right."

Sam snickered in the hallway, but it didn't change Finn's mind. So, he exhaled slowly and said his finishing speech.

"Anyway, what I wanted to say was that you will get over this too Rachel, because you're one of the strongest woman I've ever met. I wished I could be in your life, but you know if it really makes you happy then, maybe I was meant to be apart not a part."

"I didn't say I was happy with this arrangement Finn."

"You didn't say you enjoyed it either. It was clear that I've made you miserable. And I get it now, I do." He made the last effort to touch her shoulder, and gripping it, the tingling sensation from before came back again.

"You'll be fine Rachel." Then, he started to walk away.

"What if fine isn't going to be good enough for me? What if I wanted extraordinary?"

Sam, a distance away, applauded Rachel mentally. What Finn said was true; Rachel was one of the strongest women he's ever known. And doing this just proves how much.

Finn was close to entrance door, when he looked up to reply, "There's no such thing." Then, he was gone.

Sam watched Rachel struggle with herself and just when he thought she was about to give up, she flew out and after the big guy.

"You don't have to be so afraid of commitment Finn. I was scared too, but not anymore. Because you can't always get what you want, but you always get what you need. And I know one thing for sure, it's that I need you."

She was practically screaming all that was boiled up inside of her, but she was grateful about how narrow the streets of New York could be, so it hadn't seemed as loud as it was.

"Rachel, stop it. Okay." He had crossed to the other side of the pavement, only to stop just as his foot set on the curb.

"No, I will not. God Finn, you're so stubborn that you can't even see that you need me too. Because that's what life is. It's meant to be messy. But you're so narrow minded to see that I can make things better for you. You match these people up because they are evidently meant to be, but what about us when we're also evidently meant to be huh?"

"It's not the same." He walked towards her.

"What's not the same?"

"Because you scare me okay? You scare the hell out of me, and I can't do anything to over come that fear. You have scared the hell out of me by being in that bar, you have scared the hell out of me when you agreed to go on another date with me even though I screwed the first one up. And for the love of god, who does that when I've scarred your face for life?"

He was close to shouting too, but by then, Kurt had gotten back to the other side. So he was leaning against the wall with Sam beside him, watching as their two loved ones let everything out.

"I still jumped into the relationship with you anyway. Because that's what people do. They leap and hope to God that they can fly. Because otherwise, they just drop like a rock, wondering the whole damn time why in the hell did I jump? But here I am Rachel, falling. Because the only person who make me seem as though I can fly is you."

Rachel Berry bit her lip as she watch Finn take a breather.

"I kinda just contradicted my point, didn't I?" He said breathlessly.

She nodded gently and cupped his face. "So you kinda like me huh?"

"No. I don't like you Rach." He let out a sigh, as though relentlessly giving in to what seemed to be the inevitable.

"I love you. That's why it's so hard for me because obviously some other guy is in love with you, and of course you're going to choose him, so where does that leave me? I don't –"

"Finn." She cupped her grip a little tighter and he stared at her. He raised his hand too, with his index finger, running through her hair and tucking it behind her ear. "Finn, what you heard was some joke that Sam pulled on me. He wanted me to realize that I was in love with you whether I liked it or not."

A boyish grin appeared underneath the tall man's nose. "So you realized that you loved me too huh?"

"No." She sighed and looked towards Sam, who now pretended to stare at everything else besides the couple. It didn't help that Kurt's faking of nonchalance was very badly portrayed as well.

"He said that I didn't need to realize it. All I needed to do was to admit it."

"So you're kinda in love with me too?"

"Yes Finn, I am."

"Good. Because now, there's no way am I going to screw this up anymore."


	25. Ch 25 Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not have any relation to Glee or any of the writers on Fox. Purely fictional.

* * *

><p>"Finny, have you seen Tina? She said she was going to be here by now." Rachel inquired while straining her neck to look over her boyfriend's shoulder.<p>

"Rach, would you just relax? If she's going to be here then she will be."

"I know. But she said she has this huge surprise, and I'm pretty sure it involves a guy. She's not usually this secretive about her love life, so it means she's serious this time. I just wanted to make sure –"

"Look babe." His hand cupped her knee, and Rachel always wondered how he seemed to know exactly what to do to calm her down. "She's a big girl now alright? She can take care of herself. If you're going to be all motherly on her, she's not going to tell you anything."

The brunette let out a sigh and sunk back in her seat. "Fine."

"Artie just rolled in and I'm going over to talk to him alright? Do you promise me to stay here and wait patiently for Tina?"

She wrinkled her nose at the request but begrudgingly nodded her head anyway.

"That's my girl." He pecked her forehead gently and in that second, Tina's secret didn't seem so significant anymore. She let her eyes trail after her boyfriend, and questioned how he could look so adorable even though she could hardly see his face.

A tap on her shoulders knocked away some fantasies, and the friend engulfed her.

"Hey Rach."

"Oh my god Tina! Hi!"

"I'm sorry that I was late. I got uh, caught up."

"That's alright. What matters is that you're here. So come on, what's this huge news?" Rachel asked, bouncing in her seat, excited for this secret she had been hidden from for about 3 months now. She couldn't help it; she was after all a journalist, explaining this thirst for gossip.

Tina knew how it must have killed Rachel. So, for the fun of the game, she took a slow and long sip of her water, dusted off some imaginary lint from her dress and stared out at the crowd as though Rachel was invisible.

"Tinaaa-aaa…" The brunette whined. "Come on!"

Tina Cohen-Chang giggled and turned to look at her best friend. "I've met this guy. I've actually been seeing him for over four months now."

"And you're only telling me this now?"

"I wanted to be sure when I told you!"

"But 4 months Tina! That's…"

"I know. That's why this is special."

"I'm so happy for you Tina. Is he here today? Is that why you were late?" She started bouncing in her seat again.

"Yeah. It was a little difficult to get him dressed properly for the occasion."

"So, where is he? Do I get to meet him?"

Tina saw her date coming in from the back of Rachel's head and widened her smile. Rachel spun her head around. Then, Tina got up and walked beside her partner. She gave him a tiny kiss on the cheek before wheeling him to her friend.

"Rach, this is …"

"Artie Abrams? My name is Rachel Berry."

"Good to have finally met you too Rachel." The bespectacled man nodded graciously at the hand Rachel has extended because there was already a queer acknowledgment of existence from way before.

"Tina has been telling me so much about you that I feel as though I've known you my whole life."

"I hope she hadn't said anything embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it. It's actually not from Tina that made me feel like I've known you for a while."

"Oh?"

"It's the fact that you greeted me in the same way your boyfriend did."

"Oh?" She saw Finn exit from the bathroom door, and his eyes had gone straight to hers. They shared a smile among one another, and she looked back at the couple before her eyes.

Every person, every single is on his/her lookout for someone special. Sometimes, you'd realize that in the midst of chasing after this idea of a perfect person, the most imperfect one would sneak up your back and find you instead. That's when you'll realize that not everything would work out the way it should be. You need to know that there's no such thing as The Love Pundit. Nobody can teach you about making someone else fall in love with you. When it comes, it just does. And there's no way you can escape that moment of magic. Because love picks you.


	26. Ch 26 Don't Stop

This story has started from 2011, and ended in 2012. Between these 5 months, I am pretty sure that most of you might have given up on me already. But in case you haven't I do ask for you to leave me a message on tumblr. Because it is just so necessary for me to acknowledge your perfect existence in my ff life. A million and one thank you to all the subscriptions. The numbers just shot up tremendously that I was completely overwhelmed by all the love showered upon me. I understand that you wouldn't want to waste your time reading my gratitude speech, but there is just something I have to say to the reviewers.

**Angel-eyed Vampire, the anon from ch. 2, cici, edurrant0404, finchel-frankenberry-gleek, geekygleek, Georgia, julgleek, justahopelessromantic, kezztip, maybelle22, monteiths, sweetsinger4321**, I reckon none of you are here anymore, especially since I've changed my username. But in case you are, I'd just like to say that your contribution means the world to me, and honestly, without even that one comment, I wouldn't have had the strength to carry on the story for you guys. Just because I hardly mention you anymore, it doesn't change the fact that I appreciate the effort for commenting. My heart is warmed up by your compassion, and just a million thanks for everything. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

**Annpatrick, Bananappancakes, Brookedavis23, Carcarbeepbroom, FinchelFever33, Imabfamous, Jellybeangirl9792, Kaylabeth21, Kissforthewinner, Laylita83, Lovetheday, Mandy-twinkletoes, Melly233, Mudbloodgleek, PerfectFinchel, Sammystump, Sliguu, Sourilove, Supabec, Taralynnn x, Theluckyclover,** okay, some of you may have commented more than the others, but can I just say that it doesn't matter? IT DOESN'T MATTER! Because honestly, I understand how scary it is to comment. I mean, all I gotta do is just add the story to my favorites, and that's good enough isn't it? Well, no. Because you guys have gone the extra mile to comment. And what's more, the reviews are always so encouraging and supportive! I don't know how you guys do that, really I don't. You have no idea how much brighter my world seems whenever you guys leave you tail behind in the list, and the fact that it got up to over 200, it's just wow. Breathtaking and exquisite, all of you, each of you is just so very dear to me.

**Noro**, my darling, wherever you are right now, you are just I don't know. Flawless could quite be the closest description I've got for you. You managed to make me remember you, right from the start. You have no idea how encouraging it is for me whenever you leave one comment down. Every. Single. Chapter. Seriously, I do wish you could read this, and if you are, I'm sending my love.

**PaochiCute**, my darling friend whom I've missed so very dearly. I don't know if you've seen my PM to you, and I have indeed written something there. Anyhow, you are just so precious to have commented at everything. My love for you are beyond the oceans and the skies, and to wherever you are right now, thank you for being a complete angel in my life. So much love from me, to you my sweetheart. Xoxo.

**Sarasetif,** G'day girl! Like I've said, I have uploaded everything today and you know honestly, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the determination to finish everything so quickly. So thank you, for being my motivation. You are just such a precious little doll, and yes. DO GET A TUMBLR because I am dying to know you better. You are a wonderful human being and I'm just so glad to have someone like you in my life.

Finally, to all who have subscribed, my boundless love and gratitude. The Other End is actually the story that I'm most excited about, so if I'll see you there, then thank goodness, this is not the end. But in case some of you who aren't that interested, and this is my last message to you, thank you for being here. I wish you well, and may you always be joyful in whatever you do.

Signing off, Ashley.


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